GUIDING STAR - VUSI MAHLASELA
Music in a variety of stripes in South Africa played an integral role in fighting apartheid in the ’90s, and poet-turned-songwriter Mahlasela served as a central figure. Today the singer/guitarist maintains a powerful voice in his country’s embrace of freedom and justice. With his second ATO release, Mahlasela delivers 16 impassioned tunes infused with the personal and the political. He’s joined on the peace-seeking “Sower of Words” by fellow countryman Dave Matthews, who has championed his career. What’s remarkable on “Guiding Star” is the stylistic diversity: gently lilting love songs like “Everytime,” the reggae-tinted “Chamber of Justice,” the bluesy “Tibidi Waka” spiced by Derek Trucks’ slide guitar, the Afro-pop jaunt of “Jabula,” the mbaqanga ebullience of “Ntombi Mbali” and the sprightly scat of “Thula Mama.” Billboard
