Mbube originally came from South Africa's mine workers, but who's to say that a group of musicians from Zimbabwe can't take part. In truth, the music from
Blessings Nqo
and his group is a little closer to isicathamiya than mbube (being fairly soft, in the vein of
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
's more gospel-oriented pieces). This album moves through a nice set of gospel music, heavy on the South African influence. There isn't a lot of material here that one couldn't hear on other albums, but the performance is solid all around and adds in a couple of female voices that aren't always heard in standard mbube/isicathamiya, as well as a few interesting instrumental touches that fill in the sound surprisingly well.
Mbube and Gospel from Southern Africa
should please newcomer to South African vocal music, though those already into the sound are unlikely to get much from the disc. ~ Adam Greenberg