Shindu Shi

On his previous album, Kenyan musician Fadhilee Itulya celebrated the dance music of Western Kenya's Isukha and Idakho communities. His new album pays homage to George Mukabi and the omutibo style of music on the track ‘Pombe’. Omutibo is a finger-picked form of guitar music used by the Luhya people of Western Kenya and was popularised by Mukabi in the 50s and 60s.

Fadhilee Itulya is an accomplished guitarist and vocalist and, like his last album Kwetu, this new record successfully fuses East African music with acoustic folk, pop, dance and world music. ‘Njoo’ has Christian religious references; ‘Afirika’ explains the meaning of the Luhya exclamation ‘shindu shi’ and laments the situation with the global COVID-19 virus; ‘Amina’ is about a young girl and has a charming Luhya counter-vocal by Lulu Said Abdalla; the pan-African song ‘Sengonanga’ pays tribute to previous African leaders. It is a varied album and with his tight band Fadhilee Itulya creates some beautifully produced bubbly arrangements that celebrate Kenya's own musical roots while gracefully nodding toward the Congolese rumba soukous guitar sound.