Resistance Is Defence

Resistance Is Defence
Studio album by
Mzwakhe Mbuli
Released1992
GenreDub poetry[1]
LabelEarthworks/Virgin[2]
ProducerTrevor Herman
Mzwakhe Mbuli chronology
Unbroken Spirit
(1988) 		Resistance Is Defence
(1992) 		Afrika
(1993)

Resistance Is Defence is an album by the South African musician Mzwakhe Mbuli.[3][4] It was released in 1992.[5] Some of its songs were banned from South African radio.[6]

Mbuli supported the album, his first to be released internationally, with a global tour.[7][8] Mbuli's touring band was dubbed the Equals.[9]

Production

The album was produced by Trevor Herman.[10] Its songs are about South African apartheid, township life, and hope.[9] The sound draws from kwela, township jive, and mbaqanga.[11] "Chris the Doyen", which Mbuli performed at the funeral of Chris Hani, appears on some editions of Resistance Is Defence.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Robert ChristgauA[14]
The Indianapolis Star[15]
Los Angeles Daily News[16]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[10]

Robert Christgau noted that Mbuli "didn't start out as a musician—like Linton Kwesi Johnson, he's just a poet who loves music enough to do it right."[14] Spin included the album on its list of "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92", writing that "in a world of post-apartheid township jive, Mbuli stands tall ... as both an influence and an inspiration."[17] The Los Angeles Daily News deemed it "some of the most uplifting dance music on the planet."[16]

The Indianapolis Star determined that "it's Mbuli's defiant optimism that rings over the pop township jive by varying his message through questions, rational dialogue and sarcasm."[15] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote: "Wedded to the infectious grooves provided by the musicians, and served with a stunningly tasty set of catchy hooks, Mbuli's lyrics find him dancing on the grave of oppression, even if he's not quite convinced the corpse is in it yet."[18] The Washington Post stated: "The album's most powerful song, 'Tshipfinga', delivers this reminder in English to South Africa's younger generation of blacks: 'When you vote and get elected, think of those who died. When you govern the country, think of those who died'."[19]

AllMusic wrote that Mbuli "recites his work against a background of driving South African rhythms including kwela, mbaqanga, and sax jive."[13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Uyeyeni" 
2."Tshipfinga (Chipinga)" 
3."Pitoli" 
4."Stalwarts" 
5."Land Deal" 
6."Lusaka" 
7."Emandulo" 
8."Ndimbeleni" 
9."Joyina" 
10."Malambalamba" 

References

  1. ^ Nazareth, Errol (July 10, 1992). "Dub's the Rub". Entertainment. Toronto Sun. p. 62.
  2. ^ The Rough Guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland. Rough Guides UK. February 2, 2015.
  3. ^ Mojapelo, Max (July 26, 2008). Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music. African Minds.
  4. ^ Birnbaum, Larry (Feb 1992). "Cheer of a Black Planet". DownBeat. Vol. 59, no. 2. p. 36.
  5. ^ Cornwell, Gareth; Klopper, Dirk; Mackenzie, Craig (April 13, 2010). The Columbia Guide to South African Literature in English Since 1945. Columbia University Press.
  6. ^ "Singer Mzwakhe Mbuli is quick to dispel notions...". Vancouver Sun. 13 May 1993. p. F8.
  7. ^ Feist, Daniel (2 May 1992). "Mzwakhe Mbuli Resistance Is Defence". The Gazette. p. D1.
  8. ^ Gehr, Richard (Apr 1992). "World Beat". Spin. Vol. 8, no. 1. p. 91.
  9. ^ a b Moon, Tom (1 May 1993). "Poet/Singer Mzwakhe Mbuli". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D9.
  10. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 498.
  11. ^ Barlow, Sean; Eyre, Banning (1995). Afropop!. Chartwell Books, Inc. p. 16.
  12. ^ McNeil, Jr., Donald G. (1 Apr 1998). "A South African Celebrity Awaits Trial, Without Bail, in a Bank Robbery". The New York Times. p. E1.
  13. ^ a b "Mzwakhe Mbuli Resistance Is Defence". AllMusic.
  14. ^ a b "Mzwakhe Mbuli". Robert Christgau.
  15. ^ a b Miley, Scott L. (2 Mar 1992). "Mzwakhe Mbuli Resistance Is Defence". The Indianapolis Star. p. D5.
  16. ^ a b Shuster, Fred (February 7, 1992). "World Beat". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L42.
  17. ^ Foege, Alec (Dec 1992). "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92". Spin. Vol. 8, no. 9. p. 72.
  18. ^ Pick, Steve (13 Mar 1992). "A Superb Blending of Poetry and Music". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4F.
  19. ^ "Mzwakhe Mbuli's Political Dance Party". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 July 2022.