Bikutsi
is the native music of Cameroon, and
So' Forest
has borrowed it -- at least to an extent -- as the muscle behind his
pop
music. And make no mistake, he is a
musician. There's a strong flavor of both
R&B
and boy bands in the melodies and vocal arrangements of his work, and he does them well indeed, a writer with a lovely touch, one that's perhaps stronger than his own vocal ability. The opening track,
"Shambada,"
is perhaps the most accomplished piece here, if only because it's the one that's really
bikutsi
. From there it's all pretty much downhill, unless you happen to be a fan of Top 40 stylings. But
Forest
is good at what he does, there's no denying that, and he has a future, although probably more as a composer than performer. ~ Chris Nickson