The Good Ones

The Good Ones

The Good Ones is a group based in Germany, and the name refers to more than one act. One version is a Rwandan trio of genocide survivors who perform acoustic love songs in Kinyarwanda, the street dialect of Kigali. Another is a project by American indie-pop musician Jack Cusumano, also known as Johnnie Angel, built around guitar-based indie pop and power pop with some synthesizer use. A third act with the same name is a band active in the early 1990s.

Rwandan trio

The Rwandan Good Ones are Adrien Kazigira, Stany Hitimana and Jeanvier Havugimana. They record simple, direct love songs that are described as coming from the streets and as focusing on healing and peace. Their music is acoustic and rooted in local language and experience.

The songs collected on Kigali Y’ Izahabu are recorded over one summer evening on the back porch of a friend’s home. The session is notable for its stripped-back setup: the group arrives with only one guitar for two players, and that guitar has two missing strings. Hitimana plays bass on the four-string guitar, while a worn acoustic guitar is found for Kazigira, who is the main songwriter and shares harmonies with Havugimana.

Jack Cusumano project

Another act called The Good Ones is a project by Jack Cusumano, formerly Johnnie Angel. This version is centred on indie pop and power pop, with guitar as the main instrument and occasional synthesizer added.

Early 1990s band

A further group using the name The Good Ones is a band that is active in the early 1990s.