Mahotella Queens' "Sebai Bai"

The queens of mbaqanga are back! After the deaths of the great groaner, Mahlathini (Simon Nkabinde) and lead guitarist Marks Mankwane in 1998 and 1999, many wondered whether the vocal trio that first rocked South Africa in 1964 would throw in the towel. But no. They've put together a backing group consisting of young musicians, some of whom weren't even born when mbaqanga was created. Just the same, the sound is as pumping and crisp as ever, bursting with the same exuberance that has made this act a success in every time and setting.

As for the Queens themselves, they just seem to get better. Four of these 13 tracks are a capella numbers, like "Town Hall," in which the Queens recall the excitement of packing town halls in South Africa in the old days, and suggest that the same thing is now happening again. There isn't a female vocal trio on earth that can top the power and richness of the Mahotella Queens. Only the highest echelons of gospel music really compare. So it's great to hear them all alone, even if just to sing a simple love song, like "Love Emotion," with its 1950s doo-wop flavor.

The songs with the new band are spot on as well. "Awungibhaleli Ngani" delivers hard driving mbaqanga, a romping style characterized by a straight-ahead, thumping groove and playful, giddy guitar work. Typical of the genre, the song plays out a misunderstanding between lovers, with a moral twist: "What a tangle when we deceive!"

Two songs here feature concertina accordion, giving the sound overtones of another romping pop style---American Cajun music. The album concludes with an almost ceremonial tribute to Mahlathini, Mankwane, and the group's original producer and longtime saxophonist West Nkosi, who also died in 1998.
Something of a rite of passage, this release finds the Mahotella Queens revamped and ready for a new season of success.

Banning Eyre

Contributed by: Banning Eyre