Rwanda Sings With Strings

Description

For their fifth album, Rwanda Sings with Strings, the Rwandan duo The Good Ones achieve a long-held dream: accompanying their acoustic ballads with classical strings. Recorded in a single session in Washington, D.C., without sheet music or rehearsals, the album captures a raw and spontaneous magic, where the musicians – two Rwandans and two American instrumentalists who didn't know each other – communicate solely through music. Produced by Ian Brennan, this album marks a new chapter in the history of the band, born in the rural hills of Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. With songs sung in Kinyarwanda, Adrien Kazigira (vocals, guitar) and Janvier Havugimana (handmade percussion, backing vocals) explore love in all its forms, as well as the realities of a changing country. Kazigira composed over 20 pieces for this unique session, ranging from pastoral elegy to social commentary and daily chronicles. Between poignant ballads like “I Love You So Much, But You Refused to Marry Me” and tour stories (“In the Valley of the Turkeys”), the album occasionally evokes the textures of Nick Drake, Boubacar Traoré, or even Van Morrison. The album, both simple and majestic, pays homage to the tradition of great "with strings" records (Ella, Chet Baker, Charlie Parker…) while deeply anchoring its message in Rwandan soil. Outside of any industry, but supported by figures like Robert Plant and members of Wilco and Fugazi, The Good Ones continue to build bridges between cultures, pain, and hope.