Are you allowed to enter music with religious overtones for the Eurovision Song Contest? Coz Congolese Gospel group Makoma's new single has got Eurovision potential written all over it. And the group has been based in Europe for almost 15 years (first the Netherlands, now the UK), so no barrier to entry there. And, after all, Kenyan singer-songwriter Stella Mwangi represented Norway last year.
Evolution is the lead track from their 10-track comeback album of the same name, "comeback" because they've been away for 6 years recharging their batteries, an absence doesn't seem to have lost them any fans. The video for Evolution and the one for their second single, Yo Ozali, have been hugging the two top spots on African music video site VIO Africa's charts since their release.
As usual, the songs' lyrics are in English and Lingala, but this time around they're more infused with pop, dance and R&B rhythms than anything they've put out in the past, which ties in with their desire to offer an alternative to "classic" Gospel. I suppose it'd be more fitting then to call them a Christian Pop group rather than a Gospel group.
The Makoma family (five sibling and a friend, albeit without sister Nathalie who left in 2006 to focus on a solo career) have a new 10-year 5-album deal with UK-based label BC3Media, so no more long absences for the foreseeable future. They've also got some extensive touring on the cards - West Africa (from Ivory Coast to Angola), East Africa (from Kenya to Madagascar, where they last entertained a 40,000-strong crowd), Europe, USA/Canada and Australia/South Pacific - so you can expect them in your neck of the woods at some point soon, wherever you are.
Evolution is available now on iTunes, and the CD/DVD follows in March.
