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Sample Track 1:
"Madzokero (How he came back from his hunting spree)" from Double Check: Two Sides of Zimbabwe's Mbira Queen CD1 -Trance Hits (Piranha)
Sample Track 2:
"Zvinonhamo (Here comes poverty once more)" from Double Check: Two Sides of Zimbabwe's Mbira Queen CD1 -Trance Hits (Piranha)
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Double Check: Two Sides of Zimbabwe's Mbira Queen CD1 -Trance Hits (Piranha)
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Valley Advocate, Feature >>

Stella Chiwese
Double Check
(Piranha Music)

Need more proof that Westem imperialism is as silly as it is insidious? British missionaries tried to stamp out the mbira when they colonized Zimbabwe, thanks to the theory that the humble thumb piano was Satanic. They almost succeeded, but Stella Chiweshe isn't known as "the Mbira Queen" for nothing. Even before "Rhodesia" became Zimbabwe, Chiweshe used her instrument and voice to instill pride. This two-CD collection sam ples her work from the 1970s on and adds 10 new tracks. The latter make up Trance Hits," which evoke the sort of spiritual journeys the Brits feared. The musk demands attention, as much of it is more hypnotic than hip-hop and the mbira is not a conventional concert instrument even when mixed with guitars, marimba and drums. But listen and you'll hear why the spirit cannot be subdued by armies.
 06/22/06
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