José Louis And The Paradox Of Love (Deluxe)

José Louis And The Paradox Of Love (Deluxe)

While you’d be hard-pressed to find a listener of Pierre Kwenders’ José Louis and the Paradox of Love completely fluent in all of the languages spoken therein—Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba and Kikongo, to be specific—understanding every word of the project is hardly a barrier to entry. The Congolese Canadian singer, songwriter, DJ and composer has made a career—both as founder of Montreal’s Moonshine collective and artist—of sharing all the sounds that inspire him, especially those originating within the African diaspora. Within José Louis and the Paradox of Love, that means unions of jazz, house, synth-pop, electro and R&B. It also means conspicuous allusions to Afro-Latin rhythms and the work of coupé-décalé creator Douk Saga, as well as an homage to the man who’s had maybe had the biggest influence of all on Kwenders’ artistic journey: the king of Congolese rumba, Papa Wemba. Guest voices on the project include French vocalist SÔNGE, Congolese singer NGABO and Montreal’s Africa Intshiyetu Choir (Kwenders himself was once a member), all of whom contribute to the overarching message, which is that the groove is the only universal language. Coming in the wake of the album’s 2022 Polaris Music Prize victory, this expanded version of José Louis keeps the party going longer and stronger with four bonus tracks, including a remake of simmering album centrepiece “Heartbeat” (aka “Vibracao”) that drops in a new guest verse from fellow Congolese singer Sarah Kalume. But rather than simply tack these extras onto the end, they’re strategically embedded into the original tracklist to create a more expansive director’s-cut experience. “SMT” (aka “Social Media Therapy”) scores a direct hit early on by amplifying the tension between its anxious, extremely online lyrical concerns and smooth soca beats, while “Niata” highlights how Kwenders’ rhythmic tics function as hooks unto themselves, as he transforms the song title into a staccato earworm. But the greatest revelation arrives in the form of “Good”, which forsakes Kwenders’ hyperactive physicality for a euphoric, slow-dissolving dose of psychedelic disco that’s ready-made for the dance floor in your dreams.

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