Lo'Jo
MOJO RADIO
Producers: Justin Adams
World Village 468003

Mojo Radio was initially released in 1997 in Europe and has taken way too long to find its way across the Atlantic. Lo'Jo vocalist/songwriter Denis Péan sings mainly in French, but the most immediately recognizable element of Lo'Jo's sound is North African. The backing vocals of Nadia and Yamina Nid El Mourid make vivid the inspiration of the Maghreb. Stylistically, however, Lo'Jo is a musical map of the world, heartily mixing African, Asian, and European influences. The group has apparently assimilated everything from Romanian gipsy music qawwali to French pop. There's a Brechtian quality about this group as well. Its material has a theatrical flair. Lo'Jo would doubtless be as comfortable playing on the sidewalk outside a venue as inside on the bandstand. The bottom line, though, is uncomplicated: This is innovative, compelling music. Distributed in the U.S. by Harmonia Mundi. - PVV