On her debut offering, MaNgcobo’s piercingly powerful voice serves as a vehicle for an optimistic outlook that’s deeply rooted in faith and spirituality. Opening with an announcement of her arrival on “Vulani Indlela”, which combines song and spoken word backed by acoustic guitar strums and a dramatic rhythm, the album is an uplifting musical journey in which the artist chooses to see the silver lining to every dark cloud. She uses dawn as a symbol for new beginnings on “Vuka”, appeals to God and the ancestors for the continent’s healing on “Izizwe”, muses about the emotions one experiences in moments of homesickness on “Ikhaya” and prays for the protection of loved ones on “Umthandazo”. The album is a roller coaster of emotions as the artist explores romantic relationships and busks on the warmth of love on songs like “Sondela” and “Ngimthanda Impela”, while opening up about life’s challenges on songs like “Kuyabanda”, where she admits to the coldness of grief. “Kwaphela Abantu” is a duet with fellow KwaZulu-Natal Afro-soul singer Mnqobi Yazo, on which they discuss the weight of fatal tragedies over a percussion-driven instrumental that concludes with a trumpet solo that’s both soothing and foreboding. While most of the album is carried by uniform Afro-soul production, it has its diversions like the gospel instrumentation accompanying the Bible reference in the lyrics of “Juba Likanoah” and the screeching keys of mbaqanga over a lively Afropop bounce on “Sondela”. The album closes with “Nomakanjani”, where MaNgcobo reflects on her resilience in the pursuit of her dreams, epitomising the African spirit.