South Africa music reviews

If you are like me and patiently wait through the English lyrical verses for the heart-thumping Zulu rhythms and refrains, then this album is for you. Born and bred in South Africa during the 50s and 60s, my heart yearns for the earthy roots rock rhythms of the Zulu people - the celebration of hope and striving amidst a backdrop of persecution and suffering - the marriage of joy and sorrow. Musa Ukungilandela is a collection of the very best pure zulu rockers, where Clegg's European influences take a back seat to the driving Zulu heartbeat rhythm and the mesmerising contrast of the alto lead voice with the deep bass refrain. It always brings tears to my eyes. If you can still find a copy, snap up this treasure!

Mmalo-We came first; then Bayete teamed up with Jabu Khanyile, and reworked most of this album's material. The resulting reissue, "Africa Unite", has slicker production, modern instrumentation and a stronger Afro-beat feel. The 'remix' (which is essentially a reworking) of this album's title track, "Mmalo-We", makes you feel as though you're swimming with schools of lively, beautiful tropical fish. You won't get that same feeling listening to the rougher version on this disc.

With less technically-enhanced production, "Mmalo-We" is more of a purist's disc, whereas "Africa Unite" is for someone looking to mix some ethnically-driven beats into a their dance music collection. However, much of this disc's charm IS that rough production. "Africa Unite" just pops out on "Mmalo-We", and makes you want to pump your fists in the air and chant along. Altogether, quite a brilliant disc, this, and not to be overlooked by its lack of techno-pop bluster.