Reviewed by George Luke

Since the '90s, Uganda has been sending some of its best gospel talents our way. Mooto (Swahili for fire) are the latest group who cut their teeth on the Ugandan gospel scene before relocating to south London, following in the footsteps of Limit X and First Love before them. Their self-titled album is produced by another east African who's making his presence felt in the UK: Kenyan producer Hezekiah "Hez" Thuo. Hez's speciality can best be described as "Afro-R&B": a blend of African singing and urban instrumentation, which works beautifully on the title track, "Mpologoma", "Twey Agailira Mwoyo" and "Asante". Hez does straightforward urban sounds pretty well, too (he's worked with the likes of Big Brovaz on the secular scene) - but R&B with African accents just sounds disconcerting to these ears. Thankfully, there aren't too many letdowns on this album, but a lot of warmth and heart - which even a non-Swahili speaker can sense. If you need any further motivation to buy this CD, then maybe I should point out that proceeds from it are going to support an orphanage and other child-oriented ministries in the lads' homeland.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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