Entertainment / Local
Busi Ncube back in the game
09 Apr 2013 at 02:54hrs | Views
"DON'T write me off yet" was the bold message songbird Busi Ncube delivered when she and afro-jazz sensation Edith weUtonga shared the stage at the Book Café on Saturday night.
The contrast between the two musicians could not have been more striking. Busi plays the mbira, Edith is a bass guitarist par excellence. Busi wears dreadlocks; WeUtonga prefers the afro-style made famous by the Jackson Five.
But their age difference paled into insignificance as they struck an amazing chemistry referring to each other as "mother" and "daughter" respectively throughout the show.
Busi, who rose to fame in the early 80s as a member of Ilanga, was the first to take to the stage and wowed fans with a catalogue of her old and new hits such as "Lamlela", "Ngihlangabeze", "Never be the Same Again", "Somlandela" and "Some Very Full", about the ever widening poverty gap.
But it was classics such as "Gona Ramachingura", "Shosholoza" and "Mugarandega" that jolted the revellers out of their seats and onto the dance floor. As she thanked her fans for turning up in their multitudes, Busi belted out the golden oldie "True Love", a hit at Valentine's parties over the years.
Busi, who sings in a variety of languages, notably English, Ndebele, Shona and Chewa, is one of the few surviving members of the original Ilanga - the other is Keith Farquarson. Perhaps, it was this feeling of "loneliness" that inspired her to sing "Mugarandega", not once, but twice.
She has recorded at least eight albums with the band Rain since 1990, including "Zevezeve", "Bayagiya" and "Ndabazakho".
Despite her long absence from the local music, Busi has apparently been busy on the international circuit, having just returned from a tour of Norway. On May 4, she and Edith weUtonga will rekindle their partnership when they serenade fans at Hifa.
When "daughter" Edith climbed on to the stage, the crowd erupted as the gifted bass guitarist and vocalist gave fans a taste of her unique brand of afro-jazz with a selection of tracks from her debut album "Utonga" as well as forthcoming album "Kwacha".
The tracks included "Stone Child", "Iya Gogoza", "Rudo", "Famba Naye", "Royera Kure" and "Mukaranga" in which WeUtonga takes society to task for stereotyping women.
She teamed up with Busi on the track "Mudimu Hautengwe", whose message is "the good life" comes from God-given talents and hard work.
Busi returned to the stage once more to deliver a climax to this special edition of old skool versus new skool music. And there was no doubt what the crowd wanted to hear.
"We want True Love" they chanted in unison and she duly obliged. And judging by her performance on Saturday, one thing for sure is: Busi's is still far from the twilight of her illustrious career.
The contrast between the two musicians could not have been more striking. Busi plays the mbira, Edith is a bass guitarist par excellence. Busi wears dreadlocks; WeUtonga prefers the afro-style made famous by the Jackson Five.
But their age difference paled into insignificance as they struck an amazing chemistry referring to each other as "mother" and "daughter" respectively throughout the show.
Busi, who rose to fame in the early 80s as a member of Ilanga, was the first to take to the stage and wowed fans with a catalogue of her old and new hits such as "Lamlela", "Ngihlangabeze", "Never be the Same Again", "Somlandela" and "Some Very Full", about the ever widening poverty gap.
But it was classics such as "Gona Ramachingura", "Shosholoza" and "Mugarandega" that jolted the revellers out of their seats and onto the dance floor. As she thanked her fans for turning up in their multitudes, Busi belted out the golden oldie "True Love", a hit at Valentine's parties over the years.
Busi, who sings in a variety of languages, notably English, Ndebele, Shona and Chewa, is one of the few surviving members of the original Ilanga - the other is Keith Farquarson. Perhaps, it was this feeling of "loneliness" that inspired her to sing "Mugarandega", not once, but twice.
Despite her long absence from the local music, Busi has apparently been busy on the international circuit, having just returned from a tour of Norway. On May 4, she and Edith weUtonga will rekindle their partnership when they serenade fans at Hifa.
When "daughter" Edith climbed on to the stage, the crowd erupted as the gifted bass guitarist and vocalist gave fans a taste of her unique brand of afro-jazz with a selection of tracks from her debut album "Utonga" as well as forthcoming album "Kwacha".
The tracks included "Stone Child", "Iya Gogoza", "Rudo", "Famba Naye", "Royera Kure" and "Mukaranga" in which WeUtonga takes society to task for stereotyping women.
She teamed up with Busi on the track "Mudimu Hautengwe", whose message is "the good life" comes from God-given talents and hard work.
Busi returned to the stage once more to deliver a climax to this special edition of old skool versus new skool music. And there was no doubt what the crowd wanted to hear.
"We want True Love" they chanted in unison and she duly obliged. And judging by her performance on Saturday, one thing for sure is: Busi's is still far from the twilight of her illustrious career.
Source - TH
