Financial Times
"Mokoomba, Victoria Falls’s finest musical export, staked their claim as future headliners. The Zimbabwean group opened with a brooding “Masangango”, matching the gathering clouds. Trustworth Samende snapped a guitar string and Abundance Mutori filled in with a dub-heavy bass vamp until Samende was ready to unleash the band’s trademark mix of jit and zamrock. By the end, as “Welelye” segued into “Africa”, the crowd were dancing and shouting amid the raindrops.” Financial Times (about Mokoomba at WOMAD)
5 Star Review
“Mokoomba are back at last, six years on from their last album Luyando and ten years after winning a Songlines Newcomers Award at the start of their international career. Since then, this band of former school friends from Chinotimba Township, Victoria Falls, on Zimbabwe's northern borders have revived the spirit of their country's musical glory days, back in the 80s, with their fusion of Tonga rhythms, soca, soukous “and other things we listened to… growing up.” And they are on rousing, classic form on this no-nonsense, self-produced set of ten new songs plus three new upbeat versions of tracks from Luyando. The opening ‘Tamvela Mama’ sets the mood with its blend of tight, rippling guitar and bass work, keyboard lines that sound like brass parts, urgent vocals from Mathias Muzaza and slick backing vocals. This is joyful dance music for a hot summer's night, even though they are singing about greedy relatives on ‘Nzara Hapana’, or pleading for rain on ‘Nyansola’. Elsewhere they slow down for ‘Manina’, a lament for a loved one lost during the pandemic (featuring Harare singer Ulethu and lyrics in English), and there's fine vocal work on ‘Kandonga’, a celebration of a beer-hall gathering with backing provided by handclaps and percussion. They should be brilliant at WOMAD.”
Album der Woche
"Im Zentrum des Mokoomba-Sounds: die Wahnsinns-Performance von Lead-Sänger Mathias Muzaza, mit großen Stimmumfang und einer beeindruckenden vokalen Intensität. Man nennt ihn 'den Mann mit den 1000 Stimmen', mal rau, mal weich, guttural, trällernd und dabei so spirituell wie rockig."
"This third album affirms their savvy mix of spirituality and exuberance."
