african song -t'walabimsu???

February 20, 2008 12:35 PM

Hi. The geniuses on here have helped before with a seemingly impossible question. About 10 years ago, I downloaded an African song (I cannot remember what country the artist was from or even what particular "style" it was in) that was called something like "T'wala bimsu". Somehow I lost the song and I would be very gratified to find out the artist's name and the song's true name so that I could buy the CD if it exists somewhere. The song is upbeat with a lyrical hook floating over a percussive "bassline" for lack of a better word. I vaguely remember another song by the artist concerning a yellow bus. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Thanks!!
posted by 8699oriel to media & arts (5 comments total)

I think that it is Thola Amadlozi by the late, great Brenda Fassie, who was South African and sadly died in 2004. It's from the album Amadlozi. I think it's also on the greatest hits album. If you like Brenda, her best album is Memeza, which is superb.

Welcome to the wonderful world of African pop!
posted by WPW at 1:33 PM on February 20

(You can listen to a snippet of the song at the first of the two links I posted.)
posted by WPW at 1:35 PM on February 20

Thanks, but that's not the one - I know I'm asking for a needle in a haystack - but to narrow things down a little, the vocalist is male and I don't remember there being any synthesizers or anything like that. Thanks for the link to Thola Amadlozi - hearing Paul Simon's Graceland as a kid really was an eye opener to the treasure trove that I could discover in African pop.
posted by 8699oriel at 6:16 PM on February 20

Fela Kuti comes to mind as a starting point..

Good luck!
posted by xorry at 8:56 AM on February 21

still not it but again thanks for helping. The song I'm looking for is definitely not jazz-like in any of its myriad forms, either.
posted by 8699oriel at 10:31 AM on February 22