Mokoomba – Luyando (Outhere Records)
LP / CD / DL
7.5 / 10
Out Now
Young afro-fusion Zimbabwean band
release their second album.
A lot is being said about the new album
from Zimbabwe’s six piece band Mokoomba, and it’s all entirely justified. On Luyando, their second collection they
write and produce ten impressive tracks in an interesting D.I.Y. style. The rock style of their debut album Rising
Tide is put to one side as a more acoustic approach is favoured with very positive
results.
With a band name translating as ‘deep
respect for the river’, appropriately referencing their hometown of Victoria
Falls which sits on the Zambezi river, and amidst a melting pot of both
cultural and musical diversity in a war torn and nation led by the ever present
Robert Mugabe, the album title meaning ‘mothers love’ clearly shows where the
bands heart lies.
Vocals harmonies and traditional rhythms
are the mainstay of the album and it’s a fresh and lively sound that pervades throughout. Album opener, and current single Mokole has a
great instrumental riff and the native voices are joined by English speaking
hooks later in the track which not only makes it slightly unusual but also
allows a sense of association.
The Tonga initiation inspired Kumukanda
has a haunting feeling as its sparseness takes over, and there is a beauty to
Njawane which tells the tale of a young hunter encountering a ferocious lion. It’s not all indigenously lyrical content as
Nyaradzo deals with courtship and Kulindiswe of living away from the family
unit.
Beneath the upbeat tracks on Luyando lie
the true struggles of Tonga – communities moved away from the proposed Kariba
dam, having their homelands taken over and being alienated from the townships
they had once been so close to. Even today,
much of Tonga survives in poverty. The
album, whilst appearing joyous and uplifting is as much a reply to the indecision
and disorder of Zimbabwe as it is to the dictatorship of Mugabe.
Luyando is a gem, and provides not only a
thoroughly entertaining and animated album, but also a heavenly and traditional
excursion through the lifeblood of a torn nation.
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