Thandiswa Mazwai's long awaited sophomore album 'Ibokwe', is an offering from the spirit world.
"This album was a spiritual journey, first and foremost," she explains. "It was an opportunity for me to play with and engage the inner part of me, to engage with God. Because I believe that music, at times, has a real cosmic and divine effect. So I played with the divine, and allowed myself to be its instrument. In this album, I use many voices. I speak the voices in each song as other people, not me."
The album reflects her choice to embrace and explore a wide range of styles and sounds. On Ibokwe, the funky mbaqanga of her heroine Busi Mhlongo, comfortably coexists alongside the chants, percussion and bass beats inspired by her idols Fela Kuti, George Clinton, Tanzania's Bi Kidude and Miles Davis, and the the music of the Xhosa people. Dancehall reggae rhythms also find a place on this eclectic offering, creating a work that defies description and categorization.
A nine track offering, Ibokwe consists of music composed and produced almost entirely by Thandiswa herself - she subsequently enlisted Thapelo Khomo to tighten up the sound, but essentially, this was a solo project.
| Country: | Tanzania |
| Music Album: | I, Ibokwe |
| Person: | Bi Kidude, George Clinton, Miles Davis, Thandiswa Mazwai |
