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Working, as he has been since the 1970s, with Blacks Unlimited Rise up includes a superb remake of one of Mapfumo’s early numbers ‘Mukadzi Wangu’ (‘My Wife’), a reprisal of the song about a man who has to leave the country to support his family.

Rise Up is full of shades of Zimbabwe’s Shona sacred music, but kicks off with a relaxed reggae rhythm complete with horns and organ on ‘Kuvarira Mukati’ (Suffer in Silence).

Mapfumo returned to controversy after the release of a bootleg in Zimbabwean markets of his song ‘Masoja Nemapurisa’ in 2003 ridiculing a leader who sends soldiers to beat his critics. He now does not finish his tours as he once did with an appearance in his home country, and it’s obvious he touches a nerve somewhere.

It’s easy to get caught up in the politics of singers from Zimbabwe and Mapfumo has had such a diverse and lengthy career it would take more than a short review to sum up his music, but on a purely musical level this is an album of upbeat songs mixing mbira and driving bass and guitars, with a rich vocal mix.

I feel there’s a lot I miss through not seeing a translation of the lyrics and a Zimbabwean friend assures me they are well worth listening to.

Rise Up is released on Real World.

Links:
www.thomasmapfumo.com
www.leopardmannen.no/m/mapfumo.thomas.asp