The artists known as Mvula
Mandondo have released their new and long-awaited LP album, titled,
'Ambush.' The record is a collection of eclectic, art nouveau tracks
that introduce Mvula Mandondo to the world in all their exotic
splendor. Its music is a marriage of tradition and rebirth, of
classical and modern sensibilities, of Old-World and New-World
tastes. It is beauty, joy, and celebration turned music. It is the
sounds of life. It must be heard to be experienced, and it must be
experienced to be heard.
The sound of Mvula
Mandondo is couched in the rich musical traditions of Central-East
Africa, most notably those of the Ndengeleko and Manyema people of
that region. This is provided by Tanzanian born singer-songwriter
Saidi Kanda, who also plays thumb piano, ze ze, guitar, and various
traditional stringed instruments on the record. To this Mandondo adds
Latin flavors, such as soca, salsa, Congolese rhumba, roots reggae,
Afro-Cuban music, and classical. These are the cultural offerings of
Edward Shearer, of the Bahamian Caicos and Turks islands.
The record is
steeped in good humor and groove. It is decidedly not what is
sometimes called 'world music,' but rather a new kind of Afro-Latino
dance music. Mvula Mandondo sounds like the Buena Vista Social Club
played on traditional African instruments, and with the addition of
the genial, fun-loving spirit of the Central-East African people.
There is much laughter in “Ambush,” the title of which is
inspired by the surprises in store for listeners who hear this
unexampled sound for the first time, mistaking it for something else
they have, perhaps, heard before.
When asked about
the message their new record may hold for the global audience, Mvula
Mandondo writes:
“Fun!
Dance! Enjoy, relax and unwind. There are a lot of ‘in jokes’
hidden within more serious topics. Lots of double meanings. The
upbeat guitar-led and drum-driven songs are a far cry from the
typical, modern Congolese style of soukous releases. The thumb piano
and traditional songs are reinvented, and attack from an unexpected
side. Ambush!”
Ambush indeed, and
the sooner one is waylaid by this infectious, bang-up band, the
better.
“Ambush”
by Mvula Mandondo is available online worldwide beginning spring of
2013.
-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes
ARTIST CONTACT INFO:
Twitter:
@MvulaMandondo
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