Resistance Is Defence | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1992 | |||
Genre | Dub poetry [1] | |||
Label | Earthworks/ Virgin [2] | |||
Producer | Trevor Herman | |||
Mzwakhe Mbuli chronology | ||||
|
Resistance Is Defence is an album by the South African musician Mzwakhe Mbuli. [3] [4] It was released in 1992. [5] Some of its songs were banned from South African radio. [6]
Mbuli supported the album, his first to be released internationally, with a global tour. [7] [8] Mbuli's touring band was dubbed the Equals. [9]
The album was produced by Trevor Herman. [10] Its songs are about South African apartheid, township life, and hope. [9] The sound draws from kwela, township jive, and mbaqanga. [11] "Chris the Doyen", which Mbuli performed at the funeral of Chris Hani, appears on some editions of Resistance Is Defence. [12]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Robert Christgau | A [14] |
The Indianapolis Star | [15] |
Los Angeles Daily News | [16] |
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [10] |
Robert Christgau noted that Mbuli "didn't start out as a musician—like Linton Kwesi Johnson, he's just a poet who loves music enough to do it right." [14] Spin included the album on its list of "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92", writing that "in a world of post-apartheid township jive, Mbuli stands tall ... as both an influence and an inspiration." [17] The Los Angeles Daily News deemed it "some of the most uplifting dance music on the planet." [16]
The Indianapolis Star determined that "it's Mbuli's defiant optimism that rings over the pop township jive by varying his message through questions, rational dialogue and sarcasm." [15] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote: "Wedded to the infectious grooves provided by the musicians, and served with a stunningly tasty set of catchy hooks, Mbuli's lyrics find him dancing on the grave of oppression, even if he's not quite convinced the corpse is in it yet." [18] The Washington Post stated: "The album's most powerful song, 'Tshipfinga', delivers this reminder in English to South Africa's younger generation of blacks: 'When you vote and get elected, think of those who died. When you govern the country, think of those who died'." [19]
AllMusic wrote that Mbuli "recites his work against a background of driving South African rhythms including kwela, mbaqanga, and sax jive." [13]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Uyeyeni" | |
2. | "Tshipfinga (Chipinga)" | |
3. | "Pitoli" | |
4. | "Stalwarts" | |
5. | "Land Deal" | |
6. | "Lusaka" | |
7. | "Emandulo" | |
8. | "Ndimbeleni" | |
9. | "Joyina" | |
10. | "Malambalamba" |
Resistance Is Defence | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1992 | |||
Genre | Dub poetry [1] | |||
Label | Earthworks/ Virgin [2] | |||
Producer | Trevor Herman | |||
Mzwakhe Mbuli chronology | ||||
|
Resistance Is Defence is an album by the South African musician Mzwakhe Mbuli. [3] [4] It was released in 1992. [5] Some of its songs were banned from South African radio. [6]
Mbuli supported the album, his first to be released internationally, with a global tour. [7] [8] Mbuli's touring band was dubbed the Equals. [9]
The album was produced by Trevor Herman. [10] Its songs are about South African apartheid, township life, and hope. [9] The sound draws from kwela, township jive, and mbaqanga. [11] "Chris the Doyen", which Mbuli performed at the funeral of Chris Hani, appears on some editions of Resistance Is Defence. [12]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Robert Christgau | A [14] |
The Indianapolis Star | [15] |
Los Angeles Daily News | [16] |
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [10] |
Robert Christgau noted that Mbuli "didn't start out as a musician—like Linton Kwesi Johnson, he's just a poet who loves music enough to do it right." [14] Spin included the album on its list of "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92", writing that "in a world of post-apartheid township jive, Mbuli stands tall ... as both an influence and an inspiration." [17] The Los Angeles Daily News deemed it "some of the most uplifting dance music on the planet." [16]
The Indianapolis Star determined that "it's Mbuli's defiant optimism that rings over the pop township jive by varying his message through questions, rational dialogue and sarcasm." [15] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote: "Wedded to the infectious grooves provided by the musicians, and served with a stunningly tasty set of catchy hooks, Mbuli's lyrics find him dancing on the grave of oppression, even if he's not quite convinced the corpse is in it yet." [18] The Washington Post stated: "The album's most powerful song, 'Tshipfinga', delivers this reminder in English to South Africa's younger generation of blacks: 'When you vote and get elected, think of those who died. When you govern the country, think of those who died'." [19]
AllMusic wrote that Mbuli "recites his work against a background of driving South African rhythms including kwela, mbaqanga, and sax jive." [13]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Uyeyeni" | |
2. | "Tshipfinga (Chipinga)" | |
3. | "Pitoli" | |
4. | "Stalwarts" | |
5. | "Land Deal" | |
6. | "Lusaka" | |
7. | "Emandulo" | |
8. | "Ndimbeleni" | |
9. | "Joyina" | |
10. | "Malambalamba" |