Sarawoga

Dedicated to his son Sam, who died in a tragic car accident, the Zimbabwean veteran’s latest album opens with the haunting title-track. ‘Sarawoga’ is a Shona word meaning ‘left alone’ and the pain in Mtukudzi’s voice is evident as, accompanied only by ancestral drums, he mourns the loss of a dearly loved child. Several other songs refer to the tragedy of life being snatched away in its prime and even if you don’t understand the Shona lyrics you can hear the emotion in the music. Tracks such as ‘Haidyoreke’ and the hymn-like ‘Muteuro’ have a sombre quality, although it is oddly soothing at the same time. The impression given is that this music is a vital part of the grieving father’s healing process, calling to mind Joni Mitchell’s line that ‘there's comfort in melancholy’.

At 60 years old, Mtukudzi’s voice has developed an attractively grainy timbre and the songs are laced with the characteristic circular lines of his guitar (based, it has always been said, on the patterns of the mbira thumb piano). Arguably his music has never sounded so profoundly beautiful, full of deep passion, sorrow, resignation, defiance and determination that life must go on. Finding the strength to survive is hardly a new subject in the history and music of southern Africa. But rarely can it have been expressed with such grace and dignity. From personal tragedy, Mtukudzi has fashioned some of the finest and most moving music of his career.