Take more or less equal parts traditional African storytelling, catchy pop hooks, a deep jazz sensibility, virtuoso musicianship, and a voice that could make Aaron Neville jealous—and you’ve got Reverence, Cameroonian Richard Bona’s follow-up to 1999’s Scenes from My Life.
Landing on these shores in 1995 by way of Paris, this multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and bassist extraordinaire has been keeping fast company ever since—Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Danilo Perez, Chick Corea, and Bobbie McFerrin, among others—and it’s reflected in the maturity and surehandedness of Reverence.
Delivered in Bona’s native language of Douala, the 12 original songs range across topics as diverse as fervent environmentalism (“Te Misea”), the anguish of lost love (“Suninga”), and Moses’ parting of the waters (“Reverence”). Slick American pop, the Paris music hall, Weather Report (Jaco Pastorius is Bona’s primary inspiration), J.B. riffs, world beat, and neobop all comfortably share space—in lush orchestral arangements, solo vocals, and small combos.
For all its diversity, the collection hangs together well, thanks to thoughtful sequencing and, more important, the music’s integrity. Behind the pop sheen are adept, articulate, emotionally rich compositions that overcome the language barrier. (Brief song summaries are provided to set the scene.)
Then there’s Bona’s voice, whose emotional conviction and nuance get to the heart of the matter. On “Suninga,” for example, when the strings, arranged by Gil Goldstein, threaten to capsize the song in syrup, Bona’s vocal rescues and deepens the moment singlehandedly.
The band (Aaron Heick, saxophones; Etienne Stadwijk, keyboards; Oz Noy, guitar; and Vinnie Colaiuta, drums) provide able assistance over Bona’s lyrical bass. Several notable guests enliven the proceedings: pianist Edsel Gomez and percussionist Luis Quintero on the upbeat Afro-Cuban “Ekwa Mwato,” Pat Metheny on acoustic guitar on the title track, and saxophonist Michael Brecker on the jamming “Ngad’a Ndutu.”
The musicianship overall is so high that it would be nice to hear the group stretch out more, as they do in live performance. That’s the one thing missing on Reverence—risk taking in the improvisations, running the rapids together. That exhilarating edge pops up here and there—on Bona’s duet with Brecker and on the headlong jam between Bona and Colaiuta on the final track, “Mbanga Kumba.” Mostly, though, it’s sacrificed to songcraft and Bona’s meticulous production.
Still, Reverence runs deep, and it suggests that Bona has just scratched the surface.
