Cyril re-invents Mbaqanga music
Chippa Legodimo | Tuesday June 9, 2015 14:39
South African musician, Cyril Mntungwa has just released an album that will take fans down memory lane; back to the days when the Soul Brothers were a big hit in southern Africa.
In fact, the Mpumalanga man’s sound is so reminiscent of the award winning group’s tune that at first glance one could be forgiven for assuming the yesteryear star was on a come trail.
Fused with township disco sounds, the music has some fluid syncopation. In the track, Intombi Yami the musician effectively incorporated the traditional maskandi sound with some rhythmic reggae beats to produce a truly ravishing sound.
All the 12 songs are sung in his native Zulu language, all based on real life scenarios like poverty, love and the effects of lack of education on individuals.
The album kicks off with Gugulethu, a song in which the musician expresses his joy at having such a wonderful daughter.
Then it is off to Ngiyakuhlonipha, a track about respect and how often one’s respect is mistaken for cowardice.
Producer Nicholas Tjale’s versatility is demonstrated in the track Siyahupheka in which he fused the traditional maskandi instruments with a smooth rhythm keyboard to provide a very good link for the two different sounds.
The musician also has a message for drunkards with the track Bayizidakwa in which he expresses the sad state of some families as a result of alcohol.
Part of the lyrics go, “Kulo muzi bahlala be dakiwe / kulo muzi bahlala be phuzile / ubaba wa lo muzi uya phuza njalo nje/ umama wa lo muzi uya phuza njalo nje /abantwana ba lo muzi baya phuza njalo nje”.
Another interesting song is Fundani in which the musician appeals to youth to take education serious to avoid “being like him”.
From his debut album Njalo nje, the musician has demonstrated growth in his latest release.
In an era when artistes ditch unfashionable sounds like mpaqanga, Mntungwa is proving his bravery and passion for the African sound.