CD Reviews

Vusi Mahlasela

Guiding Star | ATO

By BANNING EYRE | March 19, 2007

4.0 Stars

Mahlasela is among Africa’s best singer-songwriters, and here he delivers 16 largely acoustic-based tunes that span kwela, reggae, swing jazz (with elegant scat singing), mbaqanga, and rock. He’s a passionate, engaged troubadour, as akin to Johnny Clegg and a young Paul Simon as he is to his friend and mentor Dave Matthews, not to mention any number of African roots bands. He intersperses gospel uplift (“Mighty River”) and jiving Afropop (“Moleko” and “Ntombi Mbali”) with emotionally trenchant ballads; “Song for Thandi” tells of a pregnant woman, jailed and on the verge of suicide, who’s saved by the kick of her baby and its reminder of life’s gift. “Chamber of Justice” and “Sower of Words,” both sung in English, are heavy with message, but there’s a levity in spirit and an ease in the performance that offsets the sense of despair. And despite the at times lavish production, his often breathy voice, strong in the high range, and folky acoustic-guitar picking remain central.

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