Defiantly lo-fi old soul grooves with more than a cursory nod of the hat towards this year’s soul sensation Macy Gray. The production is gorgeous; all deep bass and shrill violin, with a grittiness to the recording that recalls Sly Stone’s inspiring and seminal There’s A Riot Goin’ On album. When you add the expressive vocal and a tune that incorporates both groove and unexpected chord changes, this is a worthwhile soul excursion indeed. (Bryn R)
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Born in Mozambique of royal Swazi ancestry, with comparisons to the likes of Macy Gray to her credit, Maiuko is a singer representing another facet of the musical life of her country. Now based in the UK, Different Wars is her debut: a collage of images with soulful grooves, African choruses, and slick, modern backing tracks, all melting together in one lush, urban soundscape. Maiuko oozes soul. She has the ability to transform her vocals from husky and sensuous to something altogether more ethereal, almost spiritual. Her voice belies her youth, and defies the limitations of one particular style or genre. 

The climax of the album is "Hold My Hand." A sultry Maiuko establishes the melody over a mellow, funky groove, when, as if from the heavens, enters the unmistakeable voice of Sara Tavares. Tavares' youthfulness balances the ghostly harmonies and Maiuko's vocal maturity. This is a truly beautiful song, with the very different styles of the women resulting in something truly haunting. "Sweet Black Mama" is a thought evoking track about the universal plight of a woman's struggle to survive. It is the richness of musical content that is most striking. The track does not try to be sympathetic to its subject matter in any way; rather it emphasises the harshness of the reality, with stabbing violin and powerful harmonies. What begins life as a chill-out track becomes something darker and truly monumental in its breadth. 

One of the few overt nods to her Mozambican heritage comes in the form of "Mozambique," a free spirited track with the refrain sung in the Landin dialect of southern Mozambique. "My Oh My" is an incredibly sexy track, the purest example of Maiuko's gift. Songs like this are her strength. Her interpretation is spot on, bluesy and soulful, creaming the essence from the very core of the melody. This is one for the late night music lovers. 

Different Wars is a slow grower, mainly due to the weight of its substance - there is an ocean of sound to take in. It is an album to come back to again and again, each listen revealing new corners, hidden depths. Persevere, abandon any preconceptions of what you think African music should sound like, and you will be rewarded. - Jennifer Byrne
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SHE MAY BE PERSONABLE, ENGAGING AND CAREFUL WHOM SHE DISSES, BUT THE SHOCKING TRUTH IS THAT MAIUKO IS A ROYAL, AND WE’RE NOT TAKLKING ABOUT ANY OLD TOURIST MAGNET MUSEUM PIECE, THE SINGER IS A DESCENDENT OF A ROYAL REBEL.

“My grandmother Lisa was part of the Swaziland monarchy” says Maiuko with a wry smile. “But she chose to marry a commoner, a white man, actually. She had to become a cleaner when she gave up the royal family.  She was a very brave woman who was a great inspiration to me”.

Unsurprisingly Grandma Lisa is one of the most heartfelt tracks on Maiuko’s debut Different Wars, an album which charts a personal journey from her native Mozambique to London via sojourns in Swaziland and Portugal.

Along the way Maiuko developed a voice and song writing skill with a little inspiration from the likes of Billie Holiday, Hugh Masekela, Bjork and Massive Attack.  Elements of melancholic South African jazz and languid beats would subsequently creep into her music.

Bolstered by work with legendary blues guitarist Jeff Beck and live shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival and clubs in the UK and France, Maiuko hooked up with producers Richard Bundy and Paul Lilly boss of RL-2 Records, and got to work on songs that would eventually become Different Wars.  It’s a work which deals with a greater need for humanity in a land ravaged by political conflict and the healing process that follows cultural upheaval.

“It’s about Africa, but not just where I was born,” Maiuko elaborates.  “I hear about revolutions and what people fight for all the time.  Some people are just fighting for bread.  I did experience some of that in Mozambique.  The country is at war and we went through starvation after a long drought”.

“My parents chose to leave.  We could have stayed there during the war as a lot of people did.  I found myself getting very angry about the fact that we had to leave because of a conflict that was not of our making.  Once I left my country, I really felt I didn’t have a home.  I’ve never had the same feeling in all the countries I’ve lived.  I’d like one day to go back.  As an adult, I’ll be able to understand these things a lot better”.  [KLG]
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A strong debut from Mozambican singer songwriter Maiuko on the newly formed UK indie RL-2. If lazy comparisons need to be made I would equate her voice to that of a less raspy Macy Gray, or even the dulcet jazz tones of Erykah Badu, and with a very slinky trip-hop backing vibe on 'Different Wars' her voice shimmers through. Don't get misled by the Mozambican singer tag because this is pure soul with a few glances back at Maiuko's African heritage on tracks such as 'Mozambique', and the lovely Latin tones of 'Hold My Hand'. Production is tight and the musicianship from an esteemed backing band remains solid throughout. My only slight gripe would be that there is a little too much emphasis on bluesy down-tempo and not enough on getting the bpm's up enough to have a good groove down. That aside this is an extremely promising beginning to what should be a very long career. PM 8
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