South Africa music reviews

These 2 albums are both an great example of beautiful South African Jive music. The way this music was produced was very fine. Nice horns and violins used in an increadible way.
Another thing that makes these 2 albums unique in, is that there are very few lyrics in this music.
This allows to enjoy it, knowing that the music is whats guiding you and nothing else.

Some music makes you want to get down, dance with your eyes shut - move to the low down beat and drive the blues away. This is such music.
All instruments play percussion on this one, with the saxophone as the main talking drum, backed by a guitar, drums and bass. The alto is played like a bass, the bass is a rhythem guitar, and the drums keep it together, pulling you to the floor.
This is dance music of the highest form - possessing the magic that will make everything move. You dont try to dance to this one, you try to resist it, but you just cant, and you find yourself overcome by a simple, magical rhythem.
This is recommanded to all lovers of soulful rhythems.

It is that sophisticated township talent which seems to be dying, but for me I will trry to have as much of this as I can.

Just heard this CD at a stereo store. It is a fantastic combination of Jazz and South African rhythms.

I love this CD so much that I played my last copy to death. Hence the replacement! Hughie stays true to his culture and represents the multiculturalism of South Africa very well. Stimela, Languta, The Marketplace, Lady are amongst my favourite tracks. The insert also enriches the piece.

This CD has a wonderful mix Masekela's songs. There are both slow and upbeat tunes and they are all great. It is one of the few cd's that you can listen straight through and love every song. One of the best buys I've ever made.

This cd is wonderful. I like it better than most of Masekela's other cds. I found the tracks to be very smooth, chill, and wonderful to kick back and listen to. I highly recommend this!

A tragedy has occurred. "Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa" is out-of-print. It is nauseating for serious music listeners to contemplate that while "Destiny's Child" is making millions of dollars on record sales, this gem has descended below obscurity to become out-of-print. The ultimate dishonor has not tarnished this album's phenomenal music. This classic recording has a beautiful balance of African esthetics meet American soul, jazz, funk, rock and pop. The songs have a vintage sound that could only have been made by a South African playing American music in 1971. Along these lines, the album cover is the perfect visual representation of the music. While having a 1970's sound, "Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa" is by no means outdated, nor will it ever. The disc has an enjoyable mix of slow ballads, township infused instrumentals and fast funk. The song writing is superb, the musical improvisation is good and the voices soar. The only drawback is that coming in under forty minutes, it's short. While short on length, it will provide many long years of listening pleasure. Get "Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa" if you can!

Hugh Masekela has a strong tone.i have always dug his style.this disc reflects his genius.he has quality and texture in his work.

this cd is really good. It is almost astonishing what people can do with their voices and instruments.
mesmerizing...

Another primo collection from the "Putumayo Presents" series, "Women of Africa" is a treasure. Unless you're tone deaf or otherwise severely Music Appreciation-Challenged, you're going to love this CD; and in fact, so will your kids and so will your parents. Even your co-workers! There's nothing not to like, and I mean that only in the best possible way, not in a bland "one-size-fits-all" way. There are a variety of sounds and styles, but they follow one another well; this assortment isn't all over the map in a jarring, staccato way. It's suitable for all occasions, from lightening up your commute, to the workplace itself, or as a social lubricant at picnics and parties and other gatherings. Go ahead; conduct an experiment by playing this CD (at a mid-level volume), and watch your formerly uptight friends and colleagues start to loosen up and enjoy themselves.

I'm describing the effect of the music more than the music itself, because that is a visceral experience which you must take part in yourself. But I've already done the weeding; I sample and screen music all the time in search of recordings such as this one, and it involves suffering through a lot of turkeys, believe me. But I've done the work for you, so you don't have to.

But for the record, I will mention that Dorothy Masuka's selection here sounds like the kind of smooth jazz vocal piece one might hear from a Nat Cole or Natalie Cole or Diana Krall ensemble. That's one example only; this collection features a whole potpourri of tuneful sounds and they're all delightful (hard as that might be to believe).

I just got this CD recently and I've put it on every morning. The calm, purely happy, energy just makes me start the day on the right foot!

This wonderful collection of some of Africa's greatest straight ahead jazz players features some very cool tunes covering quite a wide-ranging stylistic soundscape. There's a little Afro-modal Shorter-ish hard bop ("Owed to Bishop"), a bit of McCoy Tyner-styled post bop ("Naivasha"), some great Township jazz ("Celebrate Mzansi"), a dollop of King Sunny Ade juju ("Langery"), Hugh Masekela meets "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" ("Tugela Rail"), Afro-Caribbean ("Dee Mwa Wee"), more Masekela stylings, updated ("Imbali"), and even an Afro-samba ("Shawn's Uhadi Samba")

A wild, untethered joy suffuses these songs, pure blitheness of spirit, with sometimes just a thin vein of sorrow or melancholy sneaking through.

My favorite numbers include "Imbali," by the great pianist Bheki Mseleku (Where's he been hiding out for the past decade, after a handful of fine discs in the early 90s?), music of the very highest standard with some killer sax work by Ezra Ngcukana and the mellow flugel horn of Feya Faku; "Shawn's Uhadi Samba," a simple, mesmeric tune with gorgeous horn harmonies and smart piano vamps by Hotep Idris Galeta; the driving, get-under-your-skin modality of "Owed to Bishop" by trumpeter Marcus Wyatt; and the dancing glee of "Celebrate Mzansi" (I'm a sucker for that Township stuff). But it's all operating on a very high level. And despite the quite amazing diversity of styles, it all hangs together. That's because, I think, it's not like a normal anthology. It's more like selections drawn from a large extended family of music makers, with many of the players popping up on each other's tunes.

Entirely enjoyable and certainly worth picking up.

This is a really striking and lovely disc! Shades of pure jazz, with hints of Abdullah Ibrahim, Gigi and Randy Weston. A really nice and at times forceful range of styles is shown here, from jazz as-you-know-it to stirring, haunting vocals on track 4 to mbalax overtures and nods to King Sunny. This album does not cover the Arabic northern aspect of Africa, the Red Sea Riviera, but does a very nice job on southwards. A disc you will play on long drives in the car or sitting with the Sunday paper. This is a solid collection of jazzy, African moods and themes...

Africa Straight Ahead is a uniquely performed and flawlessly recorded music CD anthology showcasing great African jazz, and celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the end of apartheid. Featuring a cross-section of jazz styles, these toe-tapping rhythms blend emotion and sheer energy with pulsing drumbeat of human history. Tracks include Owed To Bishop (5:54), Naivasha (6:55), Celebrate Mzansi (5:32), Beautiful Love (4:42), Langery (4:49), Tugela Rail (5:39), Sweet Anathi (7:18), Lovers On Empty Corners (4:17), Amasabekwelanggeni (7:36), Dee Mwa Wee (8:24), Imbali (5:51), and Shawn's Uhadi Samba (4:01).

I have had the pleasure of both owning 2 of their records and having heard them in concert. The harmony and beauty of the voices is food for the soul. As good as any choir or small group I have ever heard. This album and the Warner Bros Collection are my favorites.

Fans of world music, traditional hymns, minimalism, and linguistics will love this album. The best track is mislabeled however--the song printed as "Vuka Jona Sithandaze" is in fact called "Uphi Umhlobo" and was released as track 3 on the 1st Best-of album. I can only guess it appears here in error. No matter, since you'll want to play this track 400 times.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is an extremely talented group of vocalists whose intricate, uplifting harmonies seem to be excecuted with great ease. The fluidity and rich depth of each member's voice comlement the overall beauty and peace which each piece conveys. I can't say enough about this CD!

This, the most recent Bongo Maffin LP, sees the departure of Speedy from the band. While a lot of what Speedy did on previous releases from Bongo Maffin can only be called annoying, he took something of Bongo Maffin with him when he left. That said, Thandiswa's voice is as amazing as ever (check out her solo album Zabalaza for more from her) and songs like "The Way Kungakhona", "Brave, True and Strong" and the uplifting "Twasa" soar. "Twasa" is a Tswana song whose lyris: "Ba Yo Twasa!" are litrally interpretted as "We [The World/Our People] Will Dance" and so we shall. Bongolution is a great place to start getting into one of south africa's best and most popular afro-pop bands.

I was so lucky to see Bongo Maffin in concert, which made me realise that they are real musicians and artists both on-stage and in studio.

Although I haven't heard their last CD (called IV), I have heard some of their previous songs before and can say that they have evolved musically. Some songs have a more r&b/house feel to it than what I had previously heard from them, but it's all very good and Bongo Maffin is still the same Bongo Maffin!

In fact, you can't really place this album within one genre, because it is filled with so many styles, from reggea (represented by appleseed) to hiphop (with stoan, the emcee) to r&b (with red, the female voice of the group) to house and kwaito! I don't know their language, but I've read several reviews that claim that their lyrics are very good and not superficial at all. Their songs bring messages to the african youth in today's South Africa, and in the CD's cover leaflet you'll see a short text below some of the songs describing the message for those of us who don't know the language.

My favourite song from this CD is The Way Kungakhona, a song that really makes me feel good! And in the end that is what Bongolution does, while at the same time delivering good lyrics and positive messages.

These guys are blowin' me away every time I listen to the CD. I haven't heard music like this since Soul II Soul. I hope American airwaves will give it a chance, we know how that goes???

this music is the root of all music.....sounds I grew up with.....

With a mixture of beats, rhythms, and styles this is a superb example of Masekela's work. Best Bit? "A song for Brazil."

This album is one of my favorites, next to Masekela's latest. everyone needs to check this album out. best songs: in the jungle, colonial man, excuse me baby, and the boy is doin' it.

I bumped into the DVD accidently while at a local book store and quickly searched the store computer to see if there was an album. I have never seen the show and I have to agree with both reviewers. The CD stands on its own. AND there is wonderful variety.

I own 2 Ladysmith albums and while they are excellent, there is little variation between albums and songs. This album has both wonderful a capellas and variety. The use of narrative, percussive instruments, sounds of boot stomping, and bottle top rattling, creates a wonderfully rich context for each of the songs.

If you own Power of One or any Ladysmith you will like this CD.

I'll let you know what the DVD's like when I buy it!

I recently saw this show live, and was a trifle hesitant to purchase the CD, for I was concerned that losing the visual would detract too much from the experience. However, the music of Gumboots can stand - or rather, dance - on its own. If anything, the CD has given me the opportunity to concentrate more on the rich harmonies and soaring melodies of the tradtional music featured. Though I would recommend that anyone with the opportunity to see the show should see it in order to get the full effect of Gumboots, this CD makes a great contribution to any collection, with or without the ticket stub!

The original cast recording of on RCA Victor (909026-63724-2) derives its title from a secret code beaten out on the gumboots of black mine workers who were not permitted to converse with one another. From a necessity it became an art and then in the 1970s into a show designed to preserve the cultural traditions of South Africa. Now that the show is one tour, RCA has issued this CD with its 22 tracks of music from the show with sufficient narration to raise this disc several notches over similar recordings of shows in which the visual aspects are as important as the musical ones.

While I generally find recordings of "traditional" African music somewhat monotonous (in the strict sense of that word), I have nothing but praise for the vitality and variety offered up in these selections. At the time of this writing, PBS plans a special on the Rishile Gumboot Dancers of Soweto; and this CD has certainly made me look forward to it--which is more than other such recordings have done. This is a winner!

There are some great lyrics on here but the beats are kind of wack and you can tells this is a compilation.There are a good collections of MCs and musiscians-Asheru-Wordsworth-Kweli-J Live-Ken Starr...If you are looking for some B-Boy roots music music this could be the place for you.The Top songs are as Follows "B.M.I.G.","Braggin rights","Backstage" and "Mood Swings"
Lyrics-10/10 Production-6/10 X Factor-7/10 Classic-8 Replay-7
Total=7.5 out of 10 Fingers

This album was off the hook! Every track is crazy. This has the illest underground MCs. Y'all need to watch out, they bring the ehat on this album. You want some real music? Then cop the album!!!!!!!!

This album was off the hook! Every track is crazy. Watch out for these cats, they're definitely makin some real noise. Cop the album!!!!!!!!