After a recent illness, Papa Noel is back. Noel was great with Kekele and fits in well with Sam Mangwana or as a guest on Ricardo Lemvo's new album. I wish he would consider getting in on the reunited Bantous tour this summer, but clearly he likes to be the boss. Here, with Bana Congo (The Congo Kids), is another great set of Cuban-influenced Congolese rumba like the kind he used to play with Joseph Kabaselle in African Jazz back in the day. In fact the album leads off with one of African Jazz's signature tunes "Africa mokili mobimba" which has notably been covered by Sam Mangwana, Ricardo Lemvo and Dr Nico, among others. The original riff owes a lot to the piano and horn stylings of Sonora Matancera. Noel plays acoustic guitar and, with the acoustic bass, congas, and "African percussion," the whole hearkens back to the unplugged sound of Independence-era Kinshasa. Another link to that time is the sax of Manu Dibango, the only other veteran sideman of Kabaselle still alive (Rochereau, now the mayor or governor of Kinshasa, was a front man). It is rather irritating that Noel takes credit for this composition, which is by Mwamba Dechaud. The whole trend to musical appropriation, especially among poor Africans, is sad: Come on, Noel, don't be a jerk, pay the family their due. Sultan Zembellat is drafted as vocalist as he has a stronger voice than Noel, though Noel's cracked vocals add charm to some of the songs (Maybe he's trying to sound like Wendo!); backing vocals are provided by Abby Surya & Stella Liv Makasso (from Guadeloupe). The addition of genuine Cuban tres (Coto Antonio Machin Garcia) and muted trumpet (Osmil Ordoñez Garcia) adds a lot to the sound while the repertoire flows back and forth between Paris and the Caribbean with son, zouk & merengue bouncing off the Frenchified soukous sound. Though it all sounds very familiar, it is a comforting and mellow album.