Angola's most seasoned pop singer, the gruff-voiced, soulful Bonga, has been paying attention. Plainly aware of the recent success that Lusaphone artists Waldamar Bastos and Cesaria Evora have enjoyed using an all-acoustic sound palette, Bonga serves up a tasty set of songs rich with acoustic guitars, flute, marimba, accordion, bass and hand percussion. That's not to say that Bonga has sacrificed any of his trademark originality. Bonga's signature rhythm is the semba, and Angolan cousin of the Brazilian samba. And it's here in force on tunes like "Kimone Amarelo," and "Olhos Mohlados." On "Incaldido," bass and guitar harmonize on a catchy riff that answers Bonga's raspy call. The rhythm is giddy, almost Congolese, and there are other rompers here, despite the acoustic sound. The breathless "Mutokodias" plays like acoustic zouk.

Elsewhere, Bonga turns his ageless voice to more romantic and melancholy moods, as on on "Escapada," or the title track, which recalls the mournful choral refrains of Mozambiquan pop. "Kisangusangu" shifts elegantly back and forth between a gentle waltz and a flute-floated 6/8 refrain. After a career broken by civil war and exile, Bonga is plainly in excellent form. For years, we've tended to think of Bonga as a nostalgia musician recalling the pains and pleasures of the 1970s. So it's a special pleasure to find him seizing the moment and moving ahead with such gusto.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org