Picks of the Week - Amaritili 77 & Psalmist Zulu (Malawi)

We go back to Malawi for a pair of great songs.

I've become mired in the music of Malawi lately. Maybe that's a poor choice of words, but I'm finding that Malawians turn out some really great music. But don't take my word for it. Scroll down and have a listen.

I paired these two songs because to my ear they seemed to take a similar approach, as do their videos. As with so much of what I've featured at the site so far, the videos feature a bunch of people showing off some great dance moves and generally seeming to have a lot of fun.

It's way too soon to predict it, but "Ka Moyoka" might have a shot at being a pick for 2024. It's from a duo (Edgar Solomon and Oyamba Jimjim) called Amaritili 77. They got underway about a decade ago as a larger group called Amaritili. Some members drifted away and Solomon and Jimjim restarted the group with a slightly modified name.

Psalmist Zulu weighs in with a song called "Udzatsala Wekha," which is also worth a listen. He's a gospel singer whose real name is Godfrey Zulu and who records his songs in seven different languages. Zulu has been doing music for about two decades, releasing his first album in 2008 and three more albums since then.

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