Customer Reviews

Shanda

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the "World Music" section of a local store, I put on a pair of headphones and randomly chose a disk. What a wonderful surprise! This is the first CD of African music I have ever purchased. The beat is wonderful, the tunes are upbeat and interesting, and I listen to this once a day because it makes me feel good. Even if you've never heard of Mtukudzi, I strongly urge you to check out his music. It can't be easily classified, but as they say in the art world, "I know what I like," and this is it.

From the opening strains of the beautiful piano to Oliver Mtuzkudzi's gorgeous vocals, SHANDA draws in listeners with an intimate set of performances recorded live in Zimbabwe's township clubs and beer halls.

 Expect not a collection of new delights: this is a hand-picked retrospective covering the best of Tuku's 20+ career, and it also includes date introductions to help listeners absorb the progress of his sound.

This is a delightful collection of (seemingly) recent live recordings spanning several decades of Mtukudzi's career. His sound is instantly recognizable as Zimbabwean, as his vocal style and playing is based firmly on the traditional Shona Mbira sound (simple thumb piano). Often it's the guitar taking the mbira part, playing out long meandering repetitious tunes with the vocals droning over the top. The songs easily fall into a timeless groove and play long but never tiresome.

The sound may be grounded in the traditional, but the songs are enlivened with electronic arrangements and reggae/pop sensibility. The result is an enjoyable, light, uplifting message of love and hope. Zimbabwe seems an unlike source of such joy....and this makes me appreciate it all the more.