Suzzana Owiyo - Mama Africa

(Arc Music 2004)

Known as the 'Tracy Chapman of Kenya', award-winning Suzzana Owiyo is a vocalist and guitarist known for her strong social conscience. Owiyo's style on this, her debut CD, is close to afropop, not unlike what Angelique Kidjo was doing in the beginning of her career, though Owiyo focuses more on an acoustic sound. The track 'Mama Africa' is a beautiful and sensitive guitar-based song in Swahili. Overall her traditional songs are the best, even if there are great examples of the opposite, like the reggae inspired 'Lek ne Wounda'.

Reviewer : Yve Ngoo

Mama Africa (clip)