The Very Best combines the forces of Swedish musician Johan Hugo and Malawian vocalist Esau Mwamwaya, blending western pop, rock and electronics with influences from the music of southern Africa. 'Makes A King' is already the duo's fourth album to date (not counting the remix album 'Warm Heart Of Africa (The Remixes)' and the 'Esau Mwamwaya And Radioclit Are The Very Best' mixtape) and was recorded on location in Malawi. On the sound of 'Makes A King', Johan comments the following: "This time we really wanted to make a record that could be played by a band; something really organic, so there's not as many electronic instruments on 'Makes A King'". The one time this results in a successful singer-songwriter song like 'Mwana Wanga' and the next in solid rock like 'Let Go'. Unfortunately the track list also contains the odd stinker, as songs like 'Mariana' featuring Seye or 'Sweka' rather reminded yours truly of the commercial afro-dance ('Alane') that pushed Cameroonian Wes Madiko to the top of the charts back in the 1990s. Fortunately these kinds of tracks only represent a negligible minority on 'Makes A King' and with a repertoire with which they can both appeal to the alternative circuit and the world music scene, this Afro-European duo are an enjoyable and interesting discovery.