Sakidila
Virgin Records (40 mins)
Angolan-born, Lisbon-based singer and rapper Pongo already gained notoriety within the field of forward-thinking kuduro for her collaborations with Buraka Som Sistema stretching back to 2008. After a series of singles, EPs and high-energy live shows, her debut album is finally here.
Sadilika starts more on the laid-back side. The heavy beats of the kuduro club make way for classy R&B and chilled influences from Brazil and the Caribbean. This section is definitely the most pop-oriented, and while it’s pretty much inoffensive, Pongo really comes into her own half-way through the album when she turns up the heat.
The highlights come from this second half, starting with the track ‘Começa’ – the beats are harder, the bass is darker and the vocals delivered with a little bit more poison. Influences from hip-hop, amapiano and even soukous give each track an interesting, individual identity and the delightful rework of Pongo’s first hit with Buraka Som Sistema, ‘Wegue Wegue’, shows 14 additional years of musical maturity.
Pongo uses this debut to explore her musical range, but it’s the moments where the energy matches her frenetic live performances that show you what she’s truly capable of.