Tony Bird is unusual in that he is a White singer who grew up in Africa and is closely tied to the pop scene of southern Africa.
Bird was born and raised in Malawi, and his songs have had a very pro-Black viewpoint. (He was a blistering critic of the apartheid system that once plagued South Africa.) On
Sorry Africa, Bird's influences range from the Black pop of South Africa and Zimbabwe to the American rock and folk of
Bob Dylan and others.
Bird sounds like he's absorbed a variety of music, and that open-mindedness proves to be an asset on such inviting selections as "Wing's Like Vivian's," "Rift Valley" and "Mango Time." The singer/composer isn't one to shy away from sociopolitical themes; "Bird in a Cage," for example, is a song written in 1984 that decries the South African policy of apartheid. This is an excellent and heartfelt CD. ~ Alex Henderson