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CD Review
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RootsWorld Bulletin, CD Review >>
Oliver Mtukudzi
Tsimba Itsoka
Heads Up International (www.headsup.com)
This latest by Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtukudzi doesn'tdiffer greatly from many of his past works. He'sgot his usual sagely, world-weary vocal style,supported by the same electric/acoustic melodiesthat pulsate easy but solid and subtly tug at theheartstrings. Mtukudzi's music also retains thesame sweet melancholy as his peers Thomas Mapfumoand Stella Chiweshe, though that mostrecognizable of Zimbabwean/Shona instruments, thembira, is heard only in keyboard-reproduced formhere. And he's still great at conveying thehardships of his native land while injecting hissongs with an underlying sense of hope andpromise. Where his last CD, Nhava, toughenedthings up some with harder, faster rhythms andnoticeably more forceful singing, this one slipsback into the mellow mode that Mtukudzi is themaster of. You could even apply that most dreadedof musical adjectives- "smooth" -to a lot of it.Don't be too concerned, however. Mtukudzi'sparable-like songs have always been more abouttouching the soul than filling the dance floor,and even if he shows no signs of drasticallychanging his ways, Tsimba Itsoka is brimmingwith the warm, inviting sounds his fans know andlove and newcomers can get hooked on. - Tom Orr 11/20/07
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