Reviews for Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire

The average rating for Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-08-04 00:00:00 Kevin Joyce Often fascinating, especially when White joins a working band and plays some shows. He doesn't strike me as all that well-versed a music guy, frankly: he talks about how bandleaders are autocratic Big Men, which mimics the logic of Mobutu's regime, which of course explains, um, James Brown. And to say that taking all these titles like "general" shows some sort of imbibing of authoritarian thought patterns...as Robert Christgau points out, that's kind of common elsewhere, too. But there is a ton of fascinating stuff here about how soukous bands work in the Congo these days, particularly libanga, or commercialized mentions in songs: for a mere $1000, you could get a whole song named after you, or get your name "shouted" for a little less. (One song has 110 mentions.) Jill Sobule, I think it was, sold mentions on her last album, but this goes far beyond that.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-10-22 00:00:00 Cristy Eastman The high? His time as a stand-in atalaku. The low? Lyric analysis; White should be commended for putting together a readable book that balances a compelling personal story with academic rigour