Over a dozen Makeba compilations of radically varying quality preceded this one – the Mama Africa soubriquet was even used on a 25-track 2000 release which had the subtitle The Very Best of Miriam Makeba, with relatively few duplications between that and the 36 tracks here. But, while hardly definitive – half a century of music can never be properly encapsulated in one double CD set – this does represent a solid picture of the range and vibrancy of Makeba’s output and attitude over such a long period.