Zola
Ibutho
As one presses the play button for the intro to Bonginkosi Dlamini alias Zola’s new kwaito offering Ibutho, the whistling wind and the compassionate voice of grief send saddening salutations.
He takes us on a mental township walkabout where he encounters a guttersnipe whose mother died of Aids, a Zionist woman weeping for the job she just lost and a raped young girl whose family won’t help. Albeit victims of unfair socio-political circumstances, they all maintain that “Akuna niks [It’s all right]”.
Zola questions: “For how long would black folk suffer social injustices and still maintain that ‘Akuna niks?'”
Ibutho is Zola’s fourth album with the Ghetto Ruff stable and, this time around, the release of his CD is complemented by an audio-visual package in the form of an exciting DVD – Zola the Journey: Part One, which reconnects us with a younger Zola – straight out of the township.
The 20-track album is full of sharp observation, deeply rooted in his personal experience of growing up poor in the epicentre of South Africa’s political turmoil.
Ibutho is fully representative of the Sowetan that is in Zola, fused with a miscellaneous package of musical genres such as isicathamiya, mbaqanga, Afro-pop and the inevitable provocative hip-hop verses spat out in kasie lingua franca – scamtho.
The album boasts singalong tracks such as Ngudu and the radio favourite Ubelapho (T-Shirt). Many a kwaito fan will be dazzled by Zola’s explosive yet message-infested lyrics.
In Ubelapho, Zola encourages poor township folk to learn from his rags-to-riches story by finding opportunity amid poverty and shattered dreams. He gives the phrase “Been there, done that and got the T-shirt” a kwaito feel that could see it become a township anthem this festive season.
The title track is a hard-core, vernacular hip-hop tune in which Zola reminds us not to forget where we come from. So, expect an anthropology lesson on “you don’t know your past, you don’t know your future” from kwaito’s mindful social commentator.
Ibutho had 50 000 pre-sale orders from music retailers and the number continues to rise — reason enough to get yourself a copy.
Zola the Journey: Part One is a must-have for every Zola fan. Even though its release was delayed for four years, the audio-visual package is as relevant today as it was then.
The viewer is taken on a retrospective journey into the making of what soon became South Africa’s “only” kwaito superstar. His big break into television as the notorious gangster Papa Action in Yizo Yizo II was the first step to what Zola is today.
His early interviews, and the packed and not-so-packed concerts, introduce us to an ambitious young man who yearns for success and expresses concern for ghetto youth.
“Kwaito kids are made from hunger, abuse, no father, violence, guns. Now, as adults, we must change the game for the better. Now we must change everything we are made from,” says Zola.
We get to understand where he comes from and the hardships he had to endure before he collided with opportunity, which, of course, he accepted with open arms.
The DVD includes the shooting of music videos Ghetto Fabulous from the Yizo Yizo soundtrack, Umdlwembe and the hard-hitting rap tune Ghetto Scandalous.
Zola has starred in the films Drum and the award-winning Tsotsi. He presents Zola 7 on SABC1 on Thursday nights. He boasts four South African Music Awards. His popularity has led to the establishment of the Zola 7 clothing line, which launches on November 20.
He describes Steve Biko as his hero and closes one of his youth briefing sessions with a powerful quote that reads: “The future is not some place we are headed, but one we are creating. The road to it is not found, but made. And the activity of making it changes both the maker and the destination.” Hola 7! (to quote his mantra).
ALSO ON THE SHELF
Crosby Stills & Nash
Greatest Hits (Gallo Records)
Whenever I hear this band I always think of Woodstock, or to be more specific that scene in the Woodstock film where CSN’s Long Time Gone blares in the background as the camera pans across fields of tanned, half-naked hippie folks getting their groove on. It makes me think back to my days growing up and running around among the hippies at the Splashy Fen music festival. Except, there was no CSN at Splashy, just the Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters.
Ahh, those were the days; everyone had long hair and there was peace and love everywhere. Well, at least, until that Vaalie refused to turn off the house blaring out of his car boot at five in the morning, and subsequently got moered. Which got me to thinking if I took CSN to Splashy and played it out of my car boot at five in the morning, would I get moered? This became the acid test for my review of CSN, and after much deliberation I have come to the decision that I would have caught one hell of a klap.
CSN may have once been the soundtrack to a counter-culture, but today their music doesn’t make sense at all. Besides, they always sounded better when there was a Y tagged on the end. — Lloyd Gedye
Bill Frisell
East/West (Nonesuch Records)
You know those reviews of albums that are laid-back, inconsequential background music, and the reviewer usually makes some reference to lazy Sunday afternoons? Well, they boil my blood! Probably because the CD is desperately in need of a dressing down, yet the reviewer is too lazy kicking back on a Sunday afternoon to give it its just reward. Which brings me to Bill Frisell.
You see, I am not sure about this album; there are moments that are quite endearing. For one, his choice to cover some of my favourite artists’ songs won him some favour with me, but this album strikes me as the type that only reveals its charm through multiple listens, and with so much out there competing for my attention I am not sure whether I would spend the time. If you’re looking for an album to kick back to on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a sprinkling of Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson covers, then this might be just for you. — Lloyd Gedye
The M and M Project
The M and M Project (Bowline)
Exciting upbeat piano and Latino guitar usher the listener into this album. Matthys and Mauritz offer new arrangements of contemporary and older instrumental classics. The pair have their tongue in cheek in most of the CD cover content, offering quirky comments on their arrangements and sometimes voicing these between songs on the CD. Their arrangements are equally quirky, breathing life into the sound, though not always avoiding the restaurant-soundtrack aesthetic. — Nadine Botha
Undersound
Undersound (Telesto Music)
The debut album of local hard-funk purveyors Undersound attests to their increased attention to detail and professionalism since they hit the circuit just more than a year ago. The songs are clearer, crisper and executed with precision. The contagious, bouncy sounds of the vibrant outfit should have any fan of that funk-laden local rock sound tapping their feet throughout the album. Think of locals Dorp or Boo! meet ska-funkers Sublime. — Nadine Botha