Emotion

By the time he recorded Emotion, his second album for Real World Records, Congolese band-leading legend Papa Wemba had made somewhere in the region of 25 records.

This 1995 album marked something of a departure. Rather than being another instalment of his trademark high-octane soukous, Emotion was an unashamed offering to the same international audience taking the likes of Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal to its hearts. Indeed, there's even a cover of Otis Redding's Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song).

No problem, though. These are irresistibly crystal-clear melodies wrapped in the crispest, most modern production.

Available on vinyl for the first time, the album also comes with a 16bit CD quality digital download card.

Papa Wemba is not the first African artist to attempt to internationalize his sound...but he’'s the rare artist who pulls it off.
Rolling Stone (USA)

A brilliant blast of crisp soukous...pop and dance rhythms that bounce off the stratosphere.
CMJ (USA)