COMPOSERS: Oliver Mtukudzi
LABELS: Putumayo
PERFORMER: Oliver Mtukudzi (vocals)
CATALOGUE NO: P 199
Along came OLIVER MTUKUDZI to show again why he is a towering figure in Zimbabwe with a set of funky arrangements and powerful, lyrical but aware songs which do not flinch from contemporary national politics. They are carried by his strong, husky and feeling solo voice backed up by spot-on choruses and rhythms that go straight to the feet.
The sheer quality of the songs and their range of pace and pulse open up a new dimension in a popular musician of increasingly global stature: try the relaxed gait and anthem-like refrains of ‘Kusekawa’, the grandeur and the keening sax of ‘Moto Moto’, and the emotional, piano-driven ‘Tapera’.