George Sibanda’s name hardly figures nowadays, but in the late ’40s and 1950s he was a familiar name across much of Southern Africa. Over the course of 11 years, the Bulawayan native enjoyed a string of hits, only to vanish into alcoholic obscurity — even the date of his death remains unknown. But he was extensively recorded by pioneering musicologist Hugh Tracey, and a number of those tracks appear here. The surprise, perhaps, is how much his work sounds like American country music, whether in the jaunty, happy-go-lucky lope of “Mami” or “Dali Ngiyakuthanda Bati Ha-Ha-Ha,” or the slower and more heartbreaking pieces. Undeniably, Sibanda had an easy way with a melody and a gift for songwriting, not to mention a good, simple guitar style and a warm voice. A worthwhile little peek into a forgotten part of history. – Chris Nickson