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Sample Track 1:
"Ndabaiwa" from Talking Mbira (Piranha)
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Talking Mbira (Piranha)
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CD Review

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Pasadena Star News, CD Review >>

STELLA CHIWESHE: "Talking Mbira: Spirits of Liberation" (Piranha) - three stars

Chiweshe is the queen of mbira, the lyrical Zimbabwean instrument known as thumb piano - and playing with thumbs never sounded so beautiful. But don't let the tender tones fool you; this music is both complex and powerful. Like Zimbabwe's great band leader Thomas Mapfumo, who uses electric guitars to mimic the mbira, Chiweshe sings in her native Shona about politics and spiritual yearning. The standouts "Ndabaiwa (I Survived)" and "Musandifungise (Don't Remind Me)" may sound sad but they definitely convey defiance.

- Phillip Zonkel

 08/29/03
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