Welenga

Welenga
Studio album by
Wes Madiko and Michel Sanchez
Released1996
Length59:18
LabelSony
ProducerMichel Sanchez
Wes Madiko and Michel Sanchez chronology
Welenga
(1996) 		Sinami
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Music Week[1]

Welenga is the debut album by Wes Madiko and Michel Sanchez, released in 1996 through Saint George Records. The album featured the European hit single "Alane" and reached the top 10 in Austria, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.[2]

Critical reception

Music Week wrote, "Powered by the Euro-hit "Alane", this is more proof that even if rock still sounds best in English, dance has many tongues and few boundaries as Cameroon dialect meets world beats head on."[1] The magazine's Alan Jones wrote, "With his haunting single "Alane" likely to become a hit here [in the UK], as it has in the rest of Europe, Cameroonian singer Wes issues his album Welenga, where his ethnic style is diluted somewhat and mixes with the ethereal new age/world influences of Michel Sanchez, the man who created Deep Forest. The result is soothing and surprisingly moving. Wes's vocals lend poignancy to lyrics which few of his listeners can understand, while Sanchez provides diverse musical motifs to underpin proceedings. Refreshing."[3]

Track listing

  1. "Awa Awa" – 4:28
  2. "Alane" – 3:39
  3. "Kekana" – 3:17
  4. "Wezale" – 4:39
  5. "Ken Mouka" – 3:43
  6. "Mawaza" – 4:47
  7. "Mindoulou" – 4:12
  8. "Mizobiya" – 4:54
  9. "Degue Wegue" – 3:35
  10. "Ramende" – 4:03
  11. "Woukase" – 4:26
  12. "Welenga" – 5:05

1998 release bonus tracks

  1. "We Don't Need No War" – 3:50
  2. "Midiwa Bol (I Love Football)" – 4:40

All songs by Madiko/Sanchez except tracks 13 (Madiko/Laurnea) and 14 (Madiko/Amaraggi).

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 7 February 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Portugal (Top 10)".
  3. ^ Jones, Alan (24 January 1998). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 27. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Was – Welenga" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Ultratop.be – Was – Welenga" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Was – Welenga" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Was – Welenga" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Lescharts.com – Was – Welenga". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Was – Welenga" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – Was – Welenga". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Was – Welenga". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1997". Ultratop. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 1997" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1998". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 6 January 2021.