Angola's legendary Bonga may be coasting, but he's earned it. There's little to distinguish Kaxexe from his debut more than 30 years ago, except for the increased sonic fidelity and the fact that the onetime freedom fighter's life wasn't in danger when he recorded it. During the convulsive days of African independence, when each day brought another colonial subject throwing off the yoke of European rule, Bonga Kwenda, a.k.a. Barcelo de Carvalho, didn't sit on the sidelines. The promising athlete turned soul rebel, stirring nationalist passions with his music to such an extent that he was forced into exile by Angola's Portuguese overlords. With a group of like-minded outcasts from Cape Verde and other African countries, he recorded Angola '72, a classic that introduced his singular voice to the world. With its soulful burr both ragged and gentle, his instrument has retained its power over the years, and Bonga knows it, tossing off ad-libs mechanically enough. But it's a small complaint when the music -- a dusky blend of acoustic guitar, hand percussion, and scraper, with more than a little bit in common with Cape Verdean morna and coladeira, even Brazilian samba -- is this atmospheric. Listening to Kaxexe, it's not hard to imagine holing up with Bonga and his rebel band in a humid stand of tropical palms, smoking the night away, waiting for the empire to crumble. Mark Schwartz