South Africa music reviews

I got this in the 80s in the wake of Simon's "Graceland." This is probably the best known collection of this kind in America. Overall, it's not a bad set, but there are better collections of this kind for the intiate of S/A music. These selections lack the proper mix of rhythm and melody to hook you the first time around. But Township Jive (S/A's equivalent to reggae and R&B), while an acquired taste that never caught on in the US as it should have, has excellent collections such as "Rhythm of Resistance," "Rough Guide to S/A Music," "Rough Guide to S/A Jazz," "Kings and Queens of Township Jive," etc. Try those first, then ork your way back to this one.

I have listened to this album since the 80's & it continues to be a true classic from its time in history. If you like upbeat danceable worldbeat music YOU WILL LOVE this music. Peace & Enjoy , Stephan

Arguably one of the most monumental collection of world music ever recorded paints a sound scope of Soweto heritage so profoundly moving, it will make you weep. It soars and swirls and educates and dances within realms of diversity and poetry. The artists range in style and dialect, sketching a portrait of historic musical significance. Hearing such a tapestry, one could understand why Paul Simon explored [and Sting and Peter Gabriel exploited] his own pop aesthetic. At the risk of hyperbole mixed in for dramatic effect/affect, I will state that this album is a wonder to behold - an absolute must own for any human being who cares one iota about what music could/should/would be. Or what music is. My grade: A+

This CD is a real treat! "Josephine" and "Lagunya" are soooo much fun to listen to. "Only if You Have a Dream" just soars. Now this is a live recording, and hearing the cheers and applause seems to only hint at how much fun this show really appears to be. I'm sorry to have missed it in NY, but if I ever find a local production, I'm definitely going. "Ah yee ya ya yo!"

This CD rocks, I'm actually listening to it now and I'm really enjoying myself and singing along (even though I'm at work). I saw the show on the 27th Dec 2000 and fell inlove with it, I tried to get more tickets but it was sold out up to 10 Febr 2001, and that was the last day of the show :( I would recommend this to every and anyone. You'll enjoy it and just like me, you'll want to buy the CD during interval !!!!

HOLY COW, THIS SHOW AND CD ARE SO GREAT! I SAW THE SHOW AND WAS TOTALLY HYPNOTIZED BY THEIR BEAUTIFUL VOICES AND ENERGY. THE MUCIC IS SOOO GREAT AND THE ARE SO FUNNY! A MUST BUY FOR ANY BROADWAY FAN. TOO BAD ITS CLOSING ON JAN 2ND...ILL BE THERE IN THE FRONT ROW!

It's almost embarrassing to admit that we went to look for this album because we first heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo on our 2-year-old daughter's Sesame Street CDs and DVDs. However, they had such an awesome sound in their duet with Kermit the Frog that we had to see if they had something other than the kids songs! This was a great first album to buy from this band. We like pretty much all of the songs, and so does our daughter.

This group has a wonderfully soothing feel to it. It's good for relaxing, it's worth it and you won't regret it as long as you are open for an African style of singing.

I love these people. Their music is awesome. It is so peaceful. I recommend LBM to everyone who likes African music.

Mariam Makeba was and is a legend. Her introduction of African style music to the United States during the 1960s and 70s opened the way for many groups playing and singing folk-style and pop-style music with an African flavor. What can I say, Makeba is just wonderful in this series of songs mostly sung in her native Zulu dialect. I was fascinated by the fact that the various Bantu related languages have taken on some of the click sounds used by the Khoisan-speaking "bushmen."

This recording, more than any other, seems to me to capture the spirit of Africa that failed to be crushed by political repression. If you like African music you will like this CD!

This collection features recordings made by Mariam Makeba from 1960 to 1965 in the USA. These recordings were responsible for the introduction of South African music to a larger international audience. Makeba's amazing personality shines through all of these songs, affirming her position as the queen of South Africa music. Later Makeba married one of the leaders of the Black Panthers, which caused the Authorities to deport her to Europe. Previous reviews mentioned "the retreat song" and "the click song" as outstanding. I love these songs but for me the second part of the CD (songs 12-24) is even more spectacular. A song of praise for Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta ("Pole Mze"), a song of love to the leading quatert of South African revolution - Subukwe, Lutuli, Mandela and Sisulu ("Nogqongqo" from 1965) and the everlasting "Kwazulu". Makeba delivers these with the utmost love that radiates straight into the heart. Through these songs I started to love South African music.

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up listening to Makeba, but it's great to find her songs from the 1970's put onto a CD. This was the period when her voice was its absolute finest -- no matter how much you love Makeba's later works, here her voice is like a mix of Dinah Washington's power and Ella Fitzgerald's smoothness. I'm personally not a huge fan of the way so much "world music" today has been subsumed by rock and jazz -- on these songs, although the instruments are western and a few of the songs are somewhat pop, this is the closest you'll get to hearing Makeba sing in a really traditional style. For those of you who tend to listen to Classical music, and are therefore sensitized to inane percussion in today's rock & jazz, you'll very much like the mixes they do here; they keep her voice foremost and frontmost in the composition, so it's more like Makeba singing songs, than like a studio composition. I listen to this one over & over again, & never get tired of it.

Malope has a lovely, full, rich, powerful voice which she uses to great effect in these beautiful, sometimes overwhelmingly emotional songs.
The songs on this album are a mixture of traditional American gospel and township pop. In other words, it sounds more like pop music than does the average gospel cd. However, the pop doesn't dilute the gospel at all, because township pop is definitely not sappy love songs - it's the powerful expression of a suppressed culture. Malope seems to have found in religious music a way to express the hardships and yearnings of her life.
Malope grew up in the South African countryside under apartheid, and at the age of 16 moved to Johannesburg, where she lived as a beggar until her musical talent was discovered. She sampled many kinds of music, but gospel suits her best, and is the style she is now known for.
The sound quality of this cd is very good, and the musicians and backup singers are excellent. The songs originally appeared from 1990 to 1996, and they have been remasterd. 4 of the 13 songs are in English; the rest I believe are in Zulu. The English lyrics, and an English translation of the Zulu lyrics, are included in the packaging, as is an essay on Malope's life.
I found this cd very moving. Even people who are not interested in gospel usually love it.

This is a beautiful piece of art. I can't even describe the emotions associated with listening to this album. It is just heavenly. The interaction of the voices, the shape of the words, and especially the english translation are incredible. This is one of my most treasured pieces of music.

I discovered this CD in the library about 2 years ago and have been searching for it ever since, until now. Rebecca has a fabulous voice. A few songs are in English and most are African dialect, which I prefer. I am a musician, singer/songwriter and appreciate each song. This CD moves me to joyous tears every time I play it. The 3 tracks I have chosen for our wedding are #5 - Buyani, #8 - Umoya Wam and #9 - Ngegazi Lemvana. While it is a gospel CD it can be embraced by all folks no matter their religious forte, age, gender, etc. I would love to attend in person one and plenty more of her concerts. BRING HER HERE TO MAPLE RIDGE, BC, CANADA AND I GUARENTEE SHE AND HER ENSEMBLE WILL SELL EVERY TICKET, BAR NONE! It has become and shall stay as one of my top 3 favourites of all time. I dance in my kitchen, blast it while driving in my car, and with great joy imagine sharing it with our wedding guests.

-recently went to Nelson Mandela Theater in Joburg SA to see JC live , fantastic! Albums don't do his music and performance justice. Was "shaking the Tree"long before P. Gabriel!!--ozpal

Before Paul Simon amazed the world with Graceland, Johnny Clegg and Juluka were breaking the law in South Africa simply by playing together. While the world lay in shock when Nelson Mandela was imprisioned, Johnny Clegg's politically active lyrics questioned all authority in South Africa.

This album takes the lyrical political astuteness of Rage Against the Machine, the beats of Afro Celt Soundsystem, and the lush melodies and harmonies of R.E.M. and creates something wonderful. Early Juluka classics like Universal Men, High Country, Woza Friday, Scatterlings of Africa and Kilimanjaro are deeply moving, and Savuka hits like Great Heart (later covered by Jimmy Buffet), Take My Heart Away, and an astounding live version of Asimbonanga, Clegg's tribute to Mandela, this album will touch anyone with a heart, move anyone with a soul, and inspire anyone with feet to dance with.

Clegg's voice, either speaking rhythmic English or more rhythmic Zulu, is beautiful, and his word moreso. Perhaps the only songs missing from here are Too Early For The Sky, Human Rainbow and African Shadow Man, all off his Shadow Man album, which is sorely absent on this collection. But Clegg is an amazing musician and songwriter, and if you do not know him yet, I urge you to seek him out.

My introduction to Johnny Clegg was a cover of the song "Great Heart" played by Jimmy Buffett at a concert in 1987. He told the audience that songs like this reminded him of his own early work. That put the hook into me. I tried to find all of the Johnny Clegg music I could. On the way, I found out that Clegg had been arrested in South Africa for playing on the same stage as Black South Africans, and that disguises were used to fool the authorities. He had also been a professor of anthropology in South Africa, as I was lucky enough to learn from one of his students. Also, for those who would like more of a feeling for the man and his music, I suggest hunting down a copy of "VH1's One 2 One" regarding Clegg.

Although apartheid is dead in South Africa, the message of Clegg's music is still quite valid. The history of a proud people and their struggle to be accepted by a world that draws racial lines. Songs like "Scatterlings of Africa" (heard both on Saturday Night Live and in the movie "Rain Man"), "Asimbonanga" and "Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World" (a song written after the birth of Clegg's son) reflect the yearning for a better life. Clegg's music seems to me to be a reflection of Bob Dylan's music from the early 1960's. In a time when South Africans could not say what was on their minds, Johnny Clegg and Sipho brought the struggle to the young, to those with a conscience and did it with both love and grace.

Usually, I stay away from "collection" or "best of" albums, but this is truly an amazing album. One which every collector of "World Beat" should own.

Tree63 have found a way to evolve from their last album while still keeping enough of what made it easy to love their music from the previous album... My wife and I struggled almost for 2 months to get our hands on a copy of this album.... it was sold out everywhere we looked in Johannesburg South Africa, but was well worth the wait. I'd definitely recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Delirious, Sonic Flood or U2.

The second CD for Tree63 is a tad different from their first. I find it to be less overtly praise and worshipful than their first CD, which has some of the best praise rock songs ever recorded. Additionally, the production values on this one are better than the first (which I find is a double-edged sword...this CD "sounds" better than the first, but the production seems to diminish some of the raw emotion I found their first CD had).

Enough of the comparisons. Reviewing this CD as a stand-alone is easy. This is incredible music by talented musicians. Driving rhythms, slashing guitars, great vocals, wonderful melodies, loving lyrics...it's all here. As I said with the first CD...this is music that U2 would have done had they gone Christian instead of secular.

If you are a rock fan...Christian or not...pick this up the first chance you get. You will not regret it.

A refreshing change from the usual obvious and bland Christian music, this CD has an overwhelming sense of sincerity and depth seldom found in Christian music. Intelligent and inspirational lyrics combined with obvious musical gifting makes a very satisfying listen over and over.

This CD gives me goosebumps when I listen to it. Breathtaking harmonies and melodies catch you before you even listen to the lyrics. Fans of world music will find an amazing blending of styles and music types from this one extraordinary group of musicians. I have been a big fan of world music for a long time, but if you are new to it, give this CD a chance - it is wonderful!

I was having a REALLY bad day when my order from Amazon containing this CD arrived. I can barely put into words how listening to this music makes my heart swell and the cares of my world slip away.

If you are just getting into Johnny Clegg and his music, this is the album to start with!! This album contains most of my favorites, with the exception of "Jericho", "Deliwe", and the poignant "Kwela Man". Johnny Clegg has a special magic in his singing, a special way of presenting his music, that I've never heard from any other singer. The rhythm and syncopation of his work is unique, and if I could choose only one album to listen to the rest of my life, this one would be it.

I first heard of Johnny Clegg and Savuka years ago when my friend saw them open for the Grateful Dead. I bought the c.d. at his suggestion, and this is one of my favorites. We took it along with us when we backpacked through South Africa three years ago, and were not the only ones listening to it.

It symbolizes all that makes up South Africa's tumultuous beauty - gorgeous rhythms, volatile politics, beautiful people, kaleidoscopic scenery and amazing beaches. For anyone who wants to get in touch with South Africa's energy, this is highly recommended.

Welela is my favorite Makeba CD. A bit on the upbeat, dancable side, her voice smoother than ever. In addition, on Welela, Makeba sings two songs by the late composer and Minister of Culture in Guinea-Bissau, Jos� Carlos Schwarz (Dju di Galinha, and A luta continua). Makebas voice suits them well, and is a great inroduction to his music. Listen also to the Capeverdean Terezinha Araujo�s incredibly beautiful interpretation of his "Apili" on the Simentera CD "Raiz"

It is a wonderful CD. It arrived on time.

Known as the Queen of African music- this album is spell-binding and includes tunes Makeba sings in tribute to countries such as her homeland South Africa (which was in turmoil during the production of this album), Mozambique and Guinea.

A political histoy, a story and altogether compelling listening. Give it a listen.

Putumayo is a great vehicle for touring the world -- you can do it from the comfort of your own home by way of some incredible music. This particular disc is an enchanting and rhythmic look at Africa and its many different musical styles. According to the accompanying and extremely informative booklet, Africa is home to over 50 countries, 1,000 different languages, and 3,000 different tribes. That would make this disc a brief glimpse of all Africa has to offer in the music world, even though it is a very comprehensive sampling - ten songs from seven different countries.

Many cultures have influenced the music of Africa over the years, adding to a rich diversity of both music and the instruments with which to play music. The music found here is as beautiful and untamable as the African landscape - showing the strong unbreakable spirit of a strong, enduring, and culturally rich people. As well as containing two previously unreleased tracks of known artists, this disc also contains music of people that have never been heard outside of their marketing areas before. A bona fide treasure to care for and enjoy.

Fundo Di Matu is sung in Crioulo, which is a blend of African languages local to the Guinea Bissau and Portuguese, which is the main language of Guinea Bissau. Manuel Leal Emidio Costa, or Manecas Costa, first released this song on his album of the same name in 1999. Fundo Di Matu means Deep in the Forest and the rhythms of this piece will have you swaying and moving to the music before you realize what has happened, as Manecas' emotion laden lyrics dance around the melody.

Les Go is local slang along the Ivory Coast for "The Girls." This group is fronted by not one, but three young women who are a part of something so much larger - the L'Ensemble Koteba d'Abidjan. The famed dance/ theatre/ music company which was established in the city of Abidjan in order to preserve the Mandingo culture. The director of this school brought the three girls together, and now they mix their cultural music with popular Western music to bring about their own unique and most definitely unique sound. The lyrics of this piece are in Bambara, the language of Mali. In this track can be heard the n'goni (a four stringed lute-like instrument), Malian flutes, drums, and even some modern studio effects. The end result is a stunning and flavourful almost pop sounding track.

Ke Cu Minino Na Tchora is another interesting piece with a definite Reggae influence. The lyrics are completely at odds with the upbeat, chipper melody. The electric guitar has a bit of a spotlight, dancing all about the drum beat and bringing a smile - until you read the lyrics, that is. The Criolu lyrics describe the pain and suffering which comes with war, and focuses on the children thus affected. Bidinte has a strong love for music, according to the liner notes he even changed his religion to Catholic so that he could play the priests guitar! Incredible spirit and drive are combined with some serious talent where this young man is concerned. I hope to hear more of his work in time.

Not only is this a great way to expose yourself to African music, it is a great dance disc. The rhythms are very strong and lend themselves well to such strenuous activity. All of the artists featured on this disc are talented and have something worthwhile to say - this is music with meaning and a deep regard for life.

Review Original Posted at LinearReflections.com

While people associate Africa with drumming,this album leans to the acoustic side.Putumayo excels in exploring world acoustic music,and this album is a shining example.Each song is perfect,haunting.

Manecas Costa sings of a long-lost love;Seydu sings of the plight of children during wartime.Les Go is a powerful trio of women from the Ivory Coast.Oliver Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe,who is on many Putumayo albums,has a beautiful song about the sustaining power of spirituality.Augusto Cego from Cape Verde sings of the melancholy of the sea.Aura Msimang sings powerfully of a mother's loss.Adama Yalomba sings about helping the less fortunate accompanied by an unobtrusive electronic beat;I wish I could find more of his music.Habib Koite sings about the problems caused by polygamy when wives fight;it's not the glossy version of polygamy presented on HBO's "Big Love",but the atrocious nature of it in Mali.Koite doesn't sugarcoat it.

This is a powerful album.Despite its heavy themes of hunger,war&polygamy,its music is relaxing&uplifting.

Putumayo does it again! Beautiful musical voyage of Africa with some haunting melodies. This is an enchanting album ...something you need to add to your I-Pod ASAP! My favorites are Raki by Oliver Mtukudzi and Sinama Denw by Habib Koite.