In Cofield Mundi’s world, love is anything but moonshine and roses. She probes its darker side mercilessly, with her songwriting exploring issues of trust versus betrayal, or lamenting unfulfilled (or misdirected) desire.
An experienced singer and songwriter, Mundi has performed successfully internationally, but rejected overseas recording opportunities, choosing to record her debut album, Ceremony (Fresh Music), at home in South Africa.
Despite the title, this is not a very formal album. While the lyrical content is serious, the music is simple and stirring, stark at times, like on opening track Leave the Bones, bringing to mind artists like Michelle Branch. The songs are catchy in their simplicity: River, the first single, is uncomplicated pop, but still has substance. The relaxed, laid-back and acoustic atmosphere on tracks such as Count Me Out, Blueboy and Days perfectly underscores the wistful and sometimes sad emotions contained in Mundi’s lyrics.
She adds a dance beat to track five, Trust Yourself, which, despite its jangly chorus, is well-placed to prevent the album from being too monotonous. Later on the album more texture is provided by the rock guitar sounds of Give It Up, the electro sounds on the too-slight Got to and the slide guitar on Forgive Me with its blues-country flavour (and Mundi sounding remarkably like Texas’s Sharleen Spiteri).
Mundi’s confidence, combined with her sleek, assured voice and emotive lyrics, make Ceremony a noteworthy album. Keep an eye on this diva-in-the-making.
Timo Maas: Music for the Maases 2 (Gallo)
A highly enjoyable new album, with tracks by Kelis, Garbage, Moloko, Fatboy Slim, Moby, Placebo and others run through the Timo Maas mix mill, resulting in a sexy, slinky set that gets better with each listen. The limited-edition CD includes a nifty DVD with Maas live in South America, as well as interviews and videos. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various: Giant Hits (Gallo)
This CD is to the ear what a photo album is to the eye; something to reminisce about. Listeners can retrace their steps and find out where they were when people actually parted with money to hear Vicky Sampson sing. It contains some one-hit wonders as well as classics for those who love South African (more specifically township) pop of the 1980s and early 1990s. Stimela’s Zwakala falls under the category of classics, and there is the delightfully frivolous Shebeleza by Joe Mafela, Lucky Dube’s Slave and Mango Groove’s Special Star. The producers have also tried to resuscitate the long-forgotten Fatty Boom Boom by System Enemy and Alec Khaoli’s Sekuru. There is something for everyone, provided that this music, plus Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens and Soul Brothers, is your scene. If not, do what the politically correct did during that era — stay away. — Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya.