This disc is
folk
music in the same sense that
Richard Thompson
is a
musician: It has a
traditional
flavor, but most of the instruments and idioms derive from
pop
music. There are five groups featured on the album:
Isabelo
, inspired by the classic group
the Soul Brothers
; the educated
Johnny Dimba
; the guitar and concertina duo
Ngxalothi no Masevela
; the female trio
Ubuhle Bezi Ntombi
; and the tragic
Zamo no Senta
, whose two lead singers were murdered in a faction war. They play a variety of instruments -- guitar, squeezeboxes, one-string fiddle, drums, and synthesizers -- and they sing in the
falsetto or fortissimo-sans-vibrato Zulu style. Most of the groups have their roots in 1970s
South African
music. The songs are tuneful and buoyant, although most of them are somewhat light.
"Ungibuka Kanjani"
by
has a
Cajun
feeling with its concertina and dance rhythms.
's
"Izinhlebi"
is a message song about the dangers of gossip and sounds a bit like
gospel
and a bit like Graceland with its electric organ and horns. Definitely a fun collection. ~ Kurt Keefner