Moyo, Monoswezi’s fifth album, continues the group’s trajectory into a more intricately produced blend of global songs, anchored primarily by Nordic jazz and southern African roots music.
While Hope Masike’s voice and her mbira (thumb piano) still play a central role, there is a unitary feel to the album, alongside a variety of rhythmic approaches, with the bass and drums often distinctly out front. As contemplative as the album is, the vocal arrangements, not to mention Masike’s range, keep things dynamic.
The band’s take on Afrobeat, ‘Huya’, is a beautiful climax, both in the way that all elements coalesce around Masike’s soaring wail and in how it signals that the band can shift between the sensual and cerebral. It’s an especially…

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