Reviewing ‘Tuku’, The Album that Shaped Oliver Mtukudzi’s Illustrious Music Career

[Photo Credit: New York Times]

By Kinyua Mwangi

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Even in death, Oliver Mtukudzi’s legendary musical works will remain in the hearts of Zimbabweans and the world at large thanks to his amazing talent and spectacular voice.

When he finally went to be with the Lord in 2019, Mtukudzi was 66 and unbelievably, he passed on and left 66 albums.

Without saying much, a record of 66 albums is such a huge achievement for any musician given that he started out on music when there were no digital developments that now makes it easier to put an album together.

Fondly referred to as Tuku, he can only be described as a phenomenal man.

Though all of his 66 albums are amazingly thrilling and address a plethora of issues that dogged Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole ‘Tuku Album’ was the real deal.

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‘Tuku Music Album’ which was released in 2004 elevated his career. It is in this album that Dande and Todii – great African hits more than a decade later – were produced.

They continue rocking the scene in great ways. Many hum to Dande not knowing that it refers to a region in northern Zimbabwe which he Tuku sang about affectionately.

There is this nostalgia that the song evokes whenever it is played and good music is about this.

Though he was already known when this beat came out, it now cemented him as a world-class artiste whose music went from Southern Africa to Europe and America.