Oliver Mtukudzi: Tsimba itsoka (Heads Up International)

If you only listen to the music, with its amiable, dance-inducing rhythms and infectious spirit, you'll have no idea what Oliver Mtukudzi is singing about. In fact, the accompanying saxophone riffs by Samson Mtukudzi might occasionally lead you to believe you've encountered an African Kenny G. But if you check out the liner notes, you discover that Zimbabwe-based vocalist Oliver Mtukudzi's seemingly carefree music addresses men who go about deceiving innocent youngsters, creatures whose footprints leave clues to their beneficence or danger, learning to listen as others speak, rejecting disharmony and hate in favor of love, and making a difference by praying together for the nation. In other words, this is music of a people who, even amidst hardship, suffering and addiction, manage to celebrate their joy.

Mtukudzi, who has recently established the Pkare Paye Arts Centre in Norton, Zimbabwe, is so beloved in his country that he is known as "Tuku." He began recording over 30 years ago with a band called Wagon Wheels, then formed his current wonderful back-up band, Black Spirits. Singing in Shona (and in English on other discs), his lyrics about political turmoil, AIDS, economic issues, and personal integrity have made him his country's best-selling artist. Bonnie Raitt has called Tuku a "treasure," and used his music as inspiration for the song "One Belief Away." Tuku's soulful artistry exemplifies music's potential as a catalyst for change.