On the international front, Cameroon is best known for its two most distinctive genres: makossa and bikutsi from the country's southern and coastal provinces. Isnebo and his band Faadah Kawtal have entered the music scene from the north to debunk the myth that those styles are all that Cameroon has to offer.

Most of the members of Faadah Kawtal come from the north of Cameroon. Their Fulani backgrounds and cultural upbringing in the North explain much of their sound. Their roots connect Faadah Kawtal's founder and singer Isnebo Haman to famed Sengalese superstar Baaba Maal, and it's no cooincidence that both men's voices reflect the griot traditions of the north. Isnebo's slightly nasal affect is unmistakable.

In 1992, 10 years before the release of Divine on Indigo Records, Isnebo and his band tried to get their start in Douala, the bustling coastal city in the south of Cameroon. After a bumpy start and a couple of cassettes recorded, Faadah Kawtal finally released an album internationally on their Paris label. The rhythm of their sound combines Fulani rhythms in the Goumba Balewa style, but Divine incorporates international influences and contemporary songcraft as well. Purchase Faadah Kawtal's album on Indigo Records!

Contributed by: Essie Lash