In The Music The Village Never Ends

Artist: Letta Mbulu

Released: May 1983

Length: 33m 46s

My review:

Boasting an incredible 63 years of being active within the arts and an amazing 57 year timespan between her first and last solo albums (1967 - 2024), the longevity doesn't even begin to describe how important and prominent Letta Mbulu has been for South Africa, both musically, but also politically, during an extremely difficult and trying time. She founded the non-partisan and non profit organisation South African Artists United (SAAU) created in 1986 to oppose the oppression of Apartheid, among other things they toured Africa, spreading a political and historical message with the musical Buwa.

Born and raised in South Africa, Letta, while still a teenager, was already singing and touring with the musical King Kong, both in her home country and then later in England, but was forced to leave for the U.S as Apartheid became increasingly dangerous on her return form the UK. It was here that she met many fellow musicians, most notably Cannonball Adderly and later Harry Belafonte who she shared a great musical friendship with and they ended up touring across countless countries and continents together. It wasn't until the 91' Unity Festival that she returned to South Africa to perform with other South African artists, including her husband Caiphus Semenya, remarkably marking the first time they had shared a stage on home soil, over 26 years since their exile. They then went on to produce and record her next album Not Yet Uhuru in their homeland, working with some of the finest musicians South Africa has to offer, however this review is dedicated to the 1983 album In The Music The Village Never Ends, so lets jump straight in.

Sweet Juju opens the album with a bubbly and energetic number, with an encouragingly optimistic and upbeat rhythm, perfect for showcasing Letta's sophisticated and warm voice. This song, like the rest of the record, has been written and arranged by Caiphus, while most songs feature Mbulu as a writer too, this is one of the ones that doesn't. This week it was easier than most to pick my stand out song and I have gone with the absolute belter of a track Nomalizo which I of course go into greater detail below in the next section. Moving on we have Nkedema, a ballad that really slows the pace down, it is the first of 3 songs that are performed in Xhosa, a bantu language that is one of the many official spoken languages of South Africa. When translated the lyrics speak about the pain of separation form a loved one, the feeling of abandonment and the hope of being reunited, all this emotion is captured and pours out throughout the track, I especially enjoy the penetrating synth like solo towards the end that only furthers these themes. Next up is Hamba Nam We, a considerably more cheerful offering with its thumping drums and funky upbeat bass line. The addition of a that classic synth sound, the slap bass style and the sleazy guitar solo remind me of other Boogie records that were becoming popular around the same time in the early 80's, the vocals lift this song up even further and make this one of the highlights for me, a proper groover. Vunami Makhosi is the final of the three Xhosa tracks that are cleverly sandwiched on either side by the english lyrics that perhaps make them potentially easier to digest for the wider english speaking audiences. It is another lively track with a driving beat where Letta truly demonstrates her vocal range and the highs she effortlessly hits right up until the final notes. Starting to round things up we have Down By The River a charming and seductive song that features an understated melody and repetitive chanting, a gentle lullaby to love and another highlight of the album for me. Finishing things off we have The Village, a buoyant track that leaves us in a positive mood with another funky bass line and optimistic lyrics, with a fantastic Discoesque breakdown in the final third, a fitting farewell to end on a high.

This is a fantastic record that blends the Folk, World & Country sounds of South Africa with the Funk, Soul & Boogie sounds that were coming out of America in the late 70's and 80's, taking inspiration from all corners and creating a succinct and perhaps more importantly entertaining sound that is just as relevant now as it was when it was released.

Stand out song: Nomalizo 

For once this was a simple pick for me, easily the most famous song from the album and good reason why, Nomalizo is an absolute classic song that gives straight from the go. Those arpeggiated notes that introduce the track twinkle and set the mood while a sultry bass line pushes us further into the music, the vocals for this one slide in and over the music so smoothly no wonder it is such a hit. A slow tempo of just under 100BPM places this track in the 'Too Slow To Disco' groove, making it difficult to play out unless you are hosting an afternoon poolside party in the sun. According to Mbulu, Nomalizo is the name of a young girl who moves from the countryside to the city of Johannesburg to find work, however all she receives is negative responses, getting the door slammed in her face at every turn. This song just oozes that soul filled, sun drenched sound that warms my heart, even in the coldest of locations, one that I will never get bored of hearing and playing out as loud as I can.

When to listen: 

For me this album is always better appreciated while out in, or better still, surrounded by nature, I feel it works equally as well at sunrise as it does at sunset, there is a definite affinity felt for the Earth and the natural world that shines through. This is hinted at with the title of the album and songs like Down By The River that explicitly mention this connection and symbiosis that we as humans have and share with nature, it also produces ideas of a more ancestral relationship and outlook, it is after all a village rather than a city. I imagine tribes that share a powerful attachment and understanding for the natural environment, one that I feel is vanishing further and further beyond view with each new generation.

Spotify: Listen here

Vinyl:

I have the only UK reissue that was released by Be With Records, that specialise in officially licensing and releasing vinyl records that are currently unavailable or never even received a vinyl release. Originally released by them in 2017 they did another re-pressing later in 2021 to keep up with demand, it is a 180g black vinyl that sounds warm and clean with a funky deep bass. You can find the link to the pressing I own here - Discogs link

Other useful links:

You can still grab a copy from the Be With Records website below - https://www.bewithrecords.com/products/letta-mbulu-in-the-music-the-village-never-ends-lp#product

If you like this try these:

Christy (Essien Igbokwe) - Time Waits For No One

Sonya Spence - Sings Love

Ebo Taylor - Love And Death