Search - Bayete & Jabu Khanyile :: Mmalo-We

Rough around the edges

Kristen A. Spangler | Cork, Ireland | 01/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mmalo-We came first; then Bayete teamed up with Jabu Khanyile, and reworked most of this album's material. The resulting reissue, "Africa Unite", has slicker production, modern instrumentation and a stronger Afro-beat feel. The 'remix' (which is essentially a reworking) of this album's title track, "Mmalo-We", makes you feel as though you're swimming with schools of lively, beautiful tropical fish. You won't get that same feeling listening to the rougher version on this disc.



With less technically-enhanced production, "Mmalo-We" is more of a purist's disc, whereas "Africa Unite" is for someone looking to mix some ethnically-driven beats into a their dance music collection. However, much of this disc's charm IS that rough production. "Africa Unite" just pops out on "Mmalo-We", and makes you want to pump your fists in the air and chant along. Altogether, quite a brilliant disc, this, and not to be overlooked by its lack of techno-pop bluster."