Wasalala

Translating as ‘She Glows’, the title-track of Madalitso Band's second album recounts the hardships of an orphaned girl who grows up to be successful in the face of adversity. It's a familiar story for the Madalitso Band; the Malawian duo spent ten years busking with makeshift instruments on the streets of Lilongwe before being discovered by a local producer. The experience of this ensemble is evident in the tightness of their performance on this record, which marks Madalitso Band's first international release.

The duo deliver a sound known locally as banjo music, which falls somewhere between traditional and trance. Featuring a modest instrumental line-up of babatoni (a homemade one-string slide bass), four-string guitar and simple foot drum, this no-frills arrangement complements the pair's innate harmonies, revealing a recording that is true to their lifestyle. While each track leaves the impression that the duo could happily have continued playing on for hours, 40 minutes proves to be enough, with minimal variation between tracks. The energy and ease between Yobu Maligwa and Yosefe Kalekeni comes through though, and the joy of this album lies in hearing a duo whose performance together has truly become second nature.