From Amazon.co.uk
A moment's head-scratching, then the realisation hits that this is the man who played bass on Paul Simon's
Graceland, here with his first solo recording, which is a slick pot-pourri of Afro-funk, more overtly indigenous music and much else besides. Indeed, even the first of these isn't over-Americanised, possibly because, at least on the evidence of this recording, Kumalo's style draws on a broader range of influences from Latin to ambient. This diversity is perhaps unsurprising for a man whose session career has encompassed both Harry Belafonte and Laurie Anderson and Kumalo's musicality has a universal appeal. He's also attracted some heavyweight sidepersons here, such as Steve Khan and Don Alias. With an autobiographical theme to most of the pieces, this recording is an excellent showcase for Kumalo's talents. Anyone wishing to keep tabs on his other collaborative projects may care to check out the work he did with onetime Grateful Dead sticksman and ethnic percussion reasearcher/player
par excellence Mickey Hart on the late Tupac Shakur's movie
Gang Related.
--Roger Thomas
