Consumer Guide Album

Shikamoo Jazz: Chela Chela Vol. 1 [RetroAfric, 1995]
In this 1995 iteration they're an East African supergroup rolling out Swahili standards for an audience that knows most of them by heart, with sweetly soulful vocals buoyed by guitars and percussion with deftly deployed extra balafon flavoring that often sounds like some indigenous vibraphone chiming and echoing not far below or behind. The opening "Bahati" and the closing "Donda La Mapenzi" are standouts. The other six tracks are pretty darn nice. A−