Yellela

For a while the powerful voice of Zena Bacar was not heard: with Yellela, she and her band Eyuphuro triumphantly prove that she's back. Eyuphuro, whose aim was always to promote the music of their Macua ethnic group, were the first band in Mozambique to release a CD, and for a while in the 1980s they were celebrated on the European circuit, but then--like so many African groups at that time--the pressures drove them apart. It's great to meet them again, with their gentle acoustic backing over which Zena's voice rides serenely. Each of these 10 tracks is long enough for the guitars to work their spell with subtle changes in texture and colour: this music is old-fashioned in the best sense of the word. The lyrics--several by Zena herself--may also strike Western ears as old-fashioned, but that too is a plus. No brainless Western-style exaltation of sex and drugs: like so many other musicians from this part of Africa, Eyuphuro's concerns are sober and mature--preaching tolerance and restraint in the face of their country's massive problems of poverty and disease. But it's all done with infectiously cheerful warmth. --Michael Church

Label: Unknown
Studio: Riverboat
Released: 2001-04-30
Format: Audio CD