Magoola, Rachel – Songs from the Source of the Nile (ARC Music)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 12/28/05
Ugandan Afropop Worldbeat. About half are arrangements of traditional pieces and half new numbers by this major Ugandan star; most are love songs and a few are other subjects (two are somewhat cultural/political). Pleasant and listenable, not terribly groundbreaking. Too much reliance on keyboards imitating other instruments for my tastes, many songs would be quite good otherwise.
No FCCs – nothing in English. Times are listed on cover.
1. sweet Afrobeat, mellow, with nice thumb piano and handdrum sounds; love song.
2. *nice syncopation, “horn section”, mid tempo and danceable, some interesting changes and instrumentation. Swahili song thanking a good husband.
3. **Upbeat, reggae-ish, synth keyboards. Wedding song. It’s got a good beat, but not aggressively so. Nice harmonies later on. Also a guitar bit that seems to go with some other song… Ululations.
4. Upbeat, carnival in Rio feel. Love song.
5. *Clearly traditional-based, dance song about herding cattle, goes back and forth between very basic beat and faster dance with syncopation and handclaps. Lots of synth keyboards, which IMO detracts a lot.
6. Uptempo with complex beat. All about circumcision! Surprisingly sharp-edged guitar solo in middle. Nice backing vocals.
7. **Upbeat, very nice complex syncopation, nice chorus. Dance song – pubescent girls show off to prospective dudes. Whee! Two verses in English – about dancing.
8. **Slower, nice syncopation and bass, lots of “horns”. About not reacting to rumors.
9. *Relaxed vibe, “horns”, nice male vocals partway through. About husband not eating a certain delicacy without his wife. Hmmm.
10. *Upbeat, reggae-ish, odd mutated keyboard riffs, all about a woman being rid of a bad man.
11. Drum flourishes and orchestration, into uptempo but rather lowkey number of about reinstatement of tribal chieftains after Idi Amin’s demise. Not one of the most musically exciting numbers here. Lots of electric guitar later on, though.
12. Upbeat, good bass, all the synth horns are starting to get to me… A love song, danceable. There may be a real sax here!