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Concert Preview
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Washington Post, Concert Preview >>
ALTHOUGH HE'S Zimbabwean pop's biggest star, Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi is represented outside his homeland by only a handful of albums. So the new "Wonai" is a handy introduction to the rippling, melodious style that has come to be known simply as "Tuku music." A 15-song career retrospective, "Wonai" is available as either a DVD -- a collection of music videos and concert clips -- or a CD. The latter's tunes are captivating, but the package seems something of an afterthought; it includes only the most basic information about the songs, not identifying the albums from which they're excerpted or even the year in which they were first released.
"Wonai" includes three numbers Mtukudzi recorded with the "supergroups" Mahube and Africa South, including the unfortunate "The Third World Cries Everyday," which seems to be the African counterpart to Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Left to his own devices, the singer-guitarist is no less concerned with social issues, but he delivers his observations mostly in his native Shona and set to melodies that are anything but lugubrious.
With Mtukudzi's expressive baritone framed by lilting guitars, chiming mbiras and buoyant female vocals, such songs as "Todii" and "Chara Chimwe" achieve a gentle but irresistible locomotion. Whatever the lyrics say, Mtukudzi's exhilarating music promises better times. 09/01/06 >> go there
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