Reviewed by George Luke

One of the best kept secrets of Christianity in Britain today is the story of the growth of the Congolese Christian community here. In recent years, several people from the nation formerly known as Zaire have settled in this country, bringing a vibrant church and some equally vibrant worship music along with them. Michaux Nocka is one of several Congolese gospel singers now based in the UK; he relocated to Croydon a couple of years ago and divides his time between living here and working with his band over in the DRC. Michaux has found a kindred spirit in Kirk Franklin; although his sound's completely different (apart from a couple of attempts at rapping), he's inspired by the way that Kirk, like himself, has brought "street music" into the Church. In fact, the album opens with a courtroom skit in which Michaux is accused of taking the Gospel to the world - similar to the intro to one of Kirk's albums, but in French. Musically, Michaux's speciality is Soukous: the delightfully upbeat Congolese party music characterised by intricate guitar playing and "animation" (similar to an MC) bellowing exhortations to dance - or in this case, to praise God. The songs seem to focus on Revelation a lot - with titles such as "Fin du Monde" (end of the world) and "Judgement Day". Like a lot of African music, the tracks are quite lengthy (eight minutes on average). But the frequent melody changes within each song, and the sheer energy on display, ensure that it never gets boring. In short, excellent stuff. If you're into African music and can find this anywhere, buy it.

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