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ALBUM: Zonke - Embo

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After a five-year hiatus, Zonke returns to the source with her sixth album Embo. On it, the Gqeberha-hailing singer-songwriter and producer rhythmically references lineage, culture and spirituality. An aura of nostalgia permeates the album’s Afrocentric takes on soul, R&B, pop and funk thanks to its foundation of live instrumentation. These retro-inspired canvases are coloured by Zonke’s astute songwriting; an outcome of her living out various emotions. Stirring melodies then carry isiXhosa and English lyrics that depict feelings of affection, loss, growth and healing.

The dedicatory “YAHWEH” sets a spiritual tone, expresses Zonke’s affinity for bass and precedes the momentous “LITTLE THINGS YOU DO”—a feel-good Afrohouse cut that features the late Lulu Dikana. Between its shakers and ’90s-coded ad libs “TROUBLE CALLING” adds an air of apprehension to romance, though the love is assured on the Afropop ballad “MURANDZIWA”. As “CHILL” gently reminds us to take a deep breath and reorient ourselves, “I WANNA GO OUT” soundtracks self-rediscovery through a disco-driven night on the town. A fun take on an “I’m moving on” anthem, “LADY” features ’80s percussion and offers self-affirmation alongside the bubblegum-infused “I’M NOT SUFFERING”.

The minimalism of the heartfelt “BIZAN’UMAMA”, meanwhile, evokes the absence of a mother in whom solace is still sought. Amidst this sparseness, Zonke’s signature merging of melody, feeling and storytelling comes to the fore to fill a void. Later, the traditional maskandi rhythms of the Mnqobi Yazo-aided “BANDIJONGILE” perform the same task, laying a base for Zonke to acknowledge the oversight and protection provided by the ancestors. It’s here, especially, that origin is contextualised in ways musical, personal, cultural and spiritual.

Tracklist:
  1. Zonke - FOREVER (INTRO)
  2. Zonke - YAHWEH
  3. Zonke - LITTLE THINGS YOU DO (feat. Lulu Dikana)
  4. Zonke - TROUBLE CALLING
  5. Zonke - BE TRUE
  6. Zonke - BIZAN'UMAMA
  7. Zonke - INTERLUDE
  8. Zonke - MURANDZIWA
  9. Zonke - CHILL
  10. Zonke - I WANNA GO OUT
  11. Zonke - BANDIJONGILE (feat. Mnqobi Yazo)
  12. Zonke - MALUME (feat. DrumPope)
  13. Zonke - LADY
  14. Zonke - I'M NOT SUFFERING
  15. Zonke - EMBO (Outro)
  16. Zonke - MALUME (feat. DrumPope) [Move Mix]
Stream the full Album below.





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