Romeo's Tunes

I was working in Paris on Monday and managed to find an hour in my busy schedule for a whistle-stop tour of a few of the African record shops in the area around Chateau-Rouge metro - not remotely long enough to do them justice, but long enough to pick up a few bargains.

Straight off the top of the pile comes Cameroon's own Romeo Dika and his album "Marvellous". I had never previously heard of Romeo, but bought the album because the sleeve-notes said that our friend Elvis Kemayo was involved in some unspecified co-ordination role. It was a lucky hunch as "Marvellous" lives up to its name.

We start, as the album does, with a masterful piece of makossa that is bound to get you dancing, and follow it with the only English language track on the album in which Romeo pays an affectionate - if occasionally unintelligible - tribute to his dear old Mum. I am sure Mrs Dika must be very proud of her boy.

"Teresa" - Romeo Dika

"Lucky Boy" - Romeo Dika