Customer Reviews

Chamunorwa / What Are We Fighting for

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was extremely fortunate to find a used copy of this now out-of-print classic from 1990. Mapfumo here is in his prime, and the band features a single prominent mbira that gives the music a hard rough and rugged feel, particularly on the title track and Hwahwa, which has since achieved classic status. The traditional beat down song Nyama Yekugocha is an added bonus. Check out Ephraim Karimaura's mbira stle guitar-work over the Afro-poppish rhythm of Murambadoro. The only downer is the album's length, but this is collection material.

I love this album. The drumming is some of the most powerful and restrained I have ever heard. And then there is the rest of the band...and T. M., too. Incredible good stuff.

I have been a fan of contemporary African Music for many years but was blown away by this amazing release. The percussion is flawless; the guitar playing is up front and smooth; the horns accent the breaks in a powerful manner. On top of all this is Mapfumo's singing which sounds effortless yet expresses a depth of emotion that I have rarely experienced in a recording: truly the Lion of Zimbabwe! For anyone wanting an introduction to the modern music of Africa or for serious aficiandos, this is release is highly recommended.

Hurray! It's back in print! Just possibly the most danceable album ever. ("Dancing" as in: "bopping your brains out in no discernable pattern.")

No sign of a dud anywhere, or even just a pleasant one that'll let you get your breath back -- all six tracks are incandescent. Your only hope for getting a rest is "Nyama Yekugocha," but you might just find your feet doubling the beat for you.

If you're already familiar with Thomas "The Lion of Zimbabwe" Mapfumo's work, it should be sufficient to know that this is, out and out, his best album. If you're not very familiar with his music, then you've come to the right place, have you ever.

In Western music circles, "Fusion" has rightly become a dirty word. Buy this album and listen to FUSION at work. You might soon be shouting: "Gimme an F! Gimme a U! ..." The fusion going on is between the mbira (central to the quiet, delicate, classical music of Zimbabwe), and an out-and-out Southern African rock band, complete with a female chorus that seamlessly switches between call-and-response and complementary backup. Oh yes, and a horn section thrown in for good measure.

And it works perfectly. The guitars sound like mbira, Mapfumo's voice is a mbira singer's on a caffeine rush, the chorus sounds like Bob Marley's, and the rhythm section just out and out rocks.
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P.S.: I've never had much interest in finding out what the Shona-language lyrics are actually saying. On the two occasions I've looked them up, I found the titles meant "The Bream-Fish" and "I Already Have a Husband." However, when I did a search for this album name just now, I also hit on a book titled: "The Rise of Settler Power in Southern Rhodesia", by a James Chamunorwa -- bears some research.

The quality of the product is very poor. The last 3 songs do not play. Is it possible to get a replacement and to send this one back? However, the service i.e. response and delivery was good and I am happy with it.