Rwanda is My Home

This is a very enjoyable yet remarkably melancholic release by a four-piece acoustic group from Rwanda. Part of the charm derives from the fact that three of the original members of the group work as farmers and still work the same small plots of land on which they were born. Equally pleasing is the knowledge that they are of mixed tribal backgrounds – featuring both Hutu and Tutsi. Despite the horrors of the country’s history of genocide and massacres, The Good Ones are able to live and work together while making their uplifting music.

They perform with acoustic guitar, percussion and vocals (sung in the Kinyarwanda language). Most of the lead vocals are provided by Adrien Kazigira, whose voice has become higher rather than lower as he has aged. This enables him to sing ‘closer to heaven,’ as he puts it. It all sounds delightfully rustic and perhaps a little naive but, underneath, there is a musical sophistication with complex harmonies. On a couple of tracks, guitarist Stanislas Hitimana plugs into an amplifier. This is not done in any kind of modern upbeat manner – it merely adds gravitas and variation to a couple of particularly soulful songs. Overall, Rwanda is My Home is an impressive album showcasing a very different style of music.