When you're listening to Thomas Mapfumo you're listening to one of the great African pop musicians. While Zimbabwe is now autonomous, Mapfumo continues to decry government corruption and cultural decay. Most of Mapfumo's songs begin with a short melodic introduction, then settle into a groove where repetitive guitar figures flit above mixed percussion.
Punctuation comes from a chorus of backup singers as well as a sparse sprinkling of brass hits.
The most distinctive feature of Mapfumo's music is his voice, a subtle, nuanced baritone that speaks at once of joy and pain, of hope and despair.