The Very Best – Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are The Very Best

10 January 2009, Allan @ 7:45 pm The Very Best Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are The Very Best

African music has been influenced a great deal over the past year becoming a new fad or sorts. It’s refreshing to hear African rooted music instead. I’ll be frank, other types of musical styles are difficult to like at first but when you have an opportunity to check out an album for free, you take that opportunity to try something new. How else could it hurt?

I’ll admit I’m reviewing this album due to a Pitchfork Review, but I did want to check it out for myself especially when they are giving the album away for free (I can’t stress it enough I guess).

The easy part of The Very Best’s Mixtape is to first look at the covers. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa is the easiest to identify (at least to me) since it stands as a very-Africian influenced Vampire Weekend track. While I won’t go so far to say as it tops the original, it is very different and adds much more rhythm giving it more a Malawi feel despite keeping the original guitar riff. However at just before 2 minutes in, it changes gear into more a rhythmic section before mentioning Vampire Weekend and “Americo” – that’s all I could make out before continuing the song. I like it. The Very Best covers M.I.A. on Tengazako (Take What You Want) aka Paper Planes and Boyz which was the first single on “Kala”. While Tengazako is its own song and really more of a cover of the clash, other then the beat, the chorus isn’t maintained thus technically making this song much different from the original. Boyz is surprisingly in English to begin with which leads me to… (there are much more covers, some I don’t know but still very different from the original)

Despite being rooted in the African language and culture, this album could have you fooled. It brings on more Western or “normal” influences like a classical section on Kada Manja or a hip-hop influenced Sister Bedina (and more). The most important aspect of music is stepping outside of the boundaries just enough to create something very interesting and creative at the same time.

I will safely say that this album was made for the masses who are looking for something just a little more different yet keeping in touch with things that we are familiar with. I felt very reserved on this album at first but it really has won me over with multiple listens. While it might not be great or the “very best” in terms of albums, the album is still very significant.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Recommended to try at the very least.

These covers will probably bring in the most hits: (but there’s much more on the album)

AWmusic