Thul’ubheke

What can you say about a new Soul Brothers record? Over umpteen albums and more than 40 years, the two original members, David Masondo and Moses Ngwenya, have been purveying their pulsating mbaqanga mix of uplifting township jive and exuberant funk without ever deviating much from their original sound, apart from an unfortunate excursion for a while into synthesized sounds. On Thul’ubheke the vocal harmonies and Masondo’s quavering voice sound as strong as ever over throbbing electric bass and the wild Hammond B3 organ arpeggios of Ngwenya. It sounds like the Soul Brothers and couldn’t be anybody else: and if you love their township rhythms and bouncing, no-frills arrangements, then you will enjoy Thul’ubheke as much as any of their previous releases. That the prolific band has long since ceased to bother chasing new markets and is perfectly content to provide its huge South African fan base with more of the same is evident from the album sleeve, which offers no English translations or even the faintest hint of what the song titles are about. That’s a shame, for the lyrics are, according to the press release ‘loaded with constructive advice aimed at repairing the damaged fibre of society.’ But whatever the message might be, the Soul Brothers’ beat seems to be indestructible.