Luvuyo Kakaza
CD OFTHEWEEK
Busi Mhlongo’s second album, Urban Zulu, released five years after her debut, Babemu, held the number-one hot spot for two hard-hitting months in the world charts, edging ahead of notable veteran Afro-beat stars such as Congolese virtuoso composer Ray Lema and Femi Kuti.
Now with the release of Urban Zulu: The Remixes (MELT2000), she promises to rise even further in the firmament of global pop. It is hip and high-tempo, giving more appeal to hip-hop and kwaito slaves. She is convincing as a singer who transcends the language of English pop and offers African revivalist lyrics that deal with love and despair.
Featuring nine tracks, the remix album essentially has only two songs, Oxam and Yehlisan’ Umoya Ma Afrika, which gets tedious by track four. The remixes, it can be said, are an attempt to reach out to a new audience. While it definitely will sell, it somehow hinders the authenticity of Mhlongo’s Afro-beats. One misses the superb solos on maskandi guitar as other sounds are used to give its high-tech tempo. However, Mhlongo’s rhythms remain good for the dance floor and there are no doubts about why she scooped three awards at this year’s South African Music Awards.