The talent of the Cameroonian singer Kareyce Fotso remained hidden from the outside world for a long time. Her father, who was a sculptor, wanted to spare her the rigors of an artist's life and forbade her to pursue a singing career. Only after she promised him that her biochemistry studies would not suffer, did she get permission. Fortunately, because Kwegne is one of the most impressive debut
… albums of the year. Accompanied only by an acoustic guitar and some percussion, Fotso sings socially engaged songs, with a full, powerful voice that contains much more depth than you would expect based on her age. As influences, Kareyce mentions her mother, who performed as a 'mourner' at funerals, alongside the Cameroonian singer Anne-Marie Nzié, Miriam Makeba, Cesaria Evora and Erykah Badu. We take it for granted. None of the influences are clearly traceable, which means that Fotso has already found her own voice on her very first internationally released album. (MS)more
