Congolese-French musician Ya Levis teams up with Harmonize on “I Do,” track six off his sixth studio album, “31.”
It also marks the first time the two artists have ever collaborated and is one of the more sonically unique moments on the “31” album. Ya Levis combines the sounds of Congolese Rumba, Zouk and Soukous into a Bongo Flava setting – and the fusion of East African and Central African musical traditions gives “I Do” a texture none of the other 13 pieces on the album have. It therefore occupies a truly unique position within the production, rather than replicating the intensity of the Nigerian or Ghanaian collaborations elsewhere.
Ya Levis’s silky, sultry vocals sit nicely next to Harmonize’s Bongo Flava delivery. Both performers operate in the lyrical, romantic groove, so there’s no stylistic friction ripping the song apart. Instead it creates a nice familiarity that functions as a companion to the commitment-themed material throughout. The title ‘I Do’ says it all – love, devotion and a willingness to commit entirely to someone. Arriving at track six, just after the solo “Huyu,” this record strengthens the amorous thread running through the album’s first half before “Siwezi” breaks it at track seven.
The partnership also expands Harmonize’s presence into French-speaking African areas where Bongo Flava doesn’t often reach directly. Ya Levis has built up a significant audience in Congo, France, and the global Francophone African diaspora. So “I Do” is a terrific song and a strategically crucial moment on the “31” album.
Stream “I Do” and let us know if Ya Levis and Harmonize are the most surprising yet rewarding duet on the entire album!
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