POP REVIEW : Cameroon Band Rallies in Second Half

What would the country music legends whose portraits adorn the walls of the Palomino have made of Les Tetes Brulees’ bikutsi rock on Friday?

The quintet from Cameroon is a rarity in African music--a concept band. Jean-Marie Ahanda, then the arts critic for the major Cameroon daily newspaper, formed the group six years ago as a reaction against the increasingly slick, horn-dominated makossa style that initially brought the West African nation musical recognition.

Ahanda’s response was a rough, guitar-driven style drawn from the traditional music of a rain forest tribe. With their white face and body paint, artfully ripped shirts and baggy shorts, backpacks and skateboard kneepads, Les Tetes Brulees have the look of lost surfers in search of the perfect wave.

The trappings and some extroverted showmanship did threaten to outstrip the music during the first half of Les Tetes Brulees’ 90-minute set before a half-filled house. Roger Bekongo’s guitar and Georges Essono’s keyboard often used a marimba-like tone, but the hyper arrangements were too cluttered to mesh into compelling grooves.

But Les Tetes Brulees rallied strongly during the second half--the individual parts interlocked to much greater effect and the synchronized stage moves inspired serious dance floor activity.