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Q MagazineMay 6, 2015Suffused in African melody and harmony, the touches of house and hip-hop more decorative than foundational, it reads like Esau's love letter to his homeland. [Jun 2015, p.113]
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Apr 24, 2015The Swedish-Malawian duo of Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya decamped to a rented house on the shores of Lake Malawi for album number three. That apposite choice of location has paid off with a warmer, more pointedly African sound as insects provide environmental chatter and local villagers add laughs, jokes and musical accompaniment.
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MojoApr 22, 2015It's a huge step forward on their earlier recordings. [May 2015, p.95]
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Apr 7, 2015The Very Best still know how to party.
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Apr 6, 2015Makes A King takes it up a notch: the same ingredients and patterns are there, but The Very Best now sound much more like a fully operational band, rather than a fortuitous hodgepodge of singing and sampling.
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UncutApr 2, 2015Recording in an African village with a laptop and local musicians lends a more organic feel than previous releases. [May 2015, 84]
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Apr 2, 2015While their lyrics tackle poverty and corruption, tracks such as Mwana Wanga and Mariana are simple, sublime pop songs, and Sweka’s funky guitar and euphoric house groove would rock any dancefloor.
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Apr 2, 2015There’s no doubt that it’s a more sober affair than their previous work, but as a snapshot of a country in turmoil, it’s a weighty, sometimes euphoric and completely compelling encapsulation of time and place.
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Apr 13, 2015It's the group's most lived in and emotionally authentic sounding release to date; it certainly doesn't fiddle too much with the formula, but that's hardly a negative.
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Apr 23, 2015There’s moments where the Very Best show that rather than merely parlay exuberance and global harmony, they can also manage the somber aspect of their music.
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Apr 2, 2015Makes a King, in comparison [to the Very Best’s early albums], feels a bit one-note, though they can still hit that one note hard.