Jalan Kopo

Jalan Kopo

In the mid-'90s, Sabah Habas Mustapha, once a member of the legendary group of world music plunderers 3 Mustaphas 3, recorded his <I>dangdut</I>--or Indonesian pop--album. Called <I>Denpasar Moon</I>, the title track became something of an international hit. <I>Jalan Kopo</I> takes him back to Java, specifically to Bandung, to record with local musicians, and the result is every bit as delightful as its predecessor. Of course, since this is a project involving a former Mustapha, humor is inevitably a part of the equation. Nobody's taking it to the fridge, but we do have a pidgin Javanese tribute to the great English comedian, Arthur Askey, here known as Artur Asaki. It's all good fun, and there's also some great <I>dangdut</I> from the Mustapha pen, songs that are wonderful pop, no matter what category you put them into. And, to top it all off, there's even Mustapha with a Javanese orchestra. If this doesn't give you a taste for something slightly more exotic--and maybe something in peanut sauce--then nothing will. <I>--Chris Nickson</I>