Listening to John Monga’s first solo album in ten years, it is easy to confuse his songs with those of Les Mangelepa or Super Mazembe. This is because he has been a core member of Orchestre Les Mangelepa and his album features Jean Cluade Kasongo wa Kanema of Super Mazembe among other band members from Les Mangelepa.

Born in 1974 in Kigoma, Tanzania, to Congolese parents, John Monga was destined for a music career at a very early age. He began singing with the Tanzania Assemblies of God in Mwanza, where he was based for ten years, releasing two gospel albums in that period. He then moved to Kenya and continued singing gospel in 1999 when he met and joined Ochestre Les Mangelepa at the Garden Square Restaurant in Nairobi.

Since then, he has been a core member of the band. Together they have performed and recorded their most recent releases – Mangelepa Millennium and Remix in 2000, and Golden Voices in 2007. A deft composer and solo guitarist, John Monga sometimes performs with Aziz Abdi’s Ngoma Afrika band.

Vituko, currently available in the Rumba category, is perhaps his last secular composition. This infectious piece of acoustic and vocal prowess has a lasting luster. It combines the best of Les Mangelepa’s well known lyrical strengths and the vocal flair that is Monga’s true identity as a composer and singer. Like other Les Mangelepa releases, this album is a timeless classic that represents East Africa’s music circa 2009.