Liner Note Authors: Diz Heller; Nyemwererai Gurupira.
Translators: Jeannine Blanpain; Ute Entwistle.
The key phrase here is Pan-African. Batanai use traditional instruments from Southern and Western Africa that normally would never mix, add some guitar and bass, throw in a few horns, and create what they call "the past and future of African ancestral music." What this ultimately means is that it's music without a real heritage. In itself that's not necessarily a bad thing, and some of the material here does draw from the tradition, as with "Sarura Wako." The original work isn't bad, but lacking in any real distinction. The concept behind the group is good; in practice, however, it needs more thought and work to be truly successful on a musical level. ~ Chris Nickson
