Alexkid: Mint (David Gresham)
Don’t let DJ, producer and composer Alexis Mauri’s stage name fool you —there is nothing childish about this refreshingly mature collection of stylish dance beats, recorded in Paris and imbued with French flair. Mint balances nicely between downtempo dance tracks, funkier bits with a vague R&B touch (Come with Me) and easy-going electronic pop. A worthy addition to a classy music collection; not suited for those who rush out to buy the latest Bump CD. — Riaan Wolmarans
ATB: No Silence (Gallo)
This prolific dance producer/DJ is back, with another collection of dreamy trance house. The slower tracks have a taste of Chicane in them, the faster ones are not too hectic to listen to at home, and there’s a healthy dose of sexy female vocals. It’s too laid-back to push any boundaries, but worth popping into the CD player. — RW
Cher: Live: The Farewell Tour (Gallo)
The word “fabulous” may have been invented for this album. Cher is on stage for her last tour, “the Cher-est show on Earth”, and pulls out all the stops, to the delight of the “ladies and gentlemen … and flamboyant gentlemen” in the audience, as she points out. Even if you don’t much like her perky pop tunes, it’s hard to resist their catchy allure as she belts them out (18 of her hits, from the Sixties to now), with plenty of witty diva gab in between. “Follow this, you bitches,” she dares the next generation of girl singers — and the Britneys of the world will be hard pressed to do so. Also out on DVD is The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection (Warner) — which is just what it says, and a chance to snigger at Cher’s various hairstyles over the years. — RW
The Corrs: Borrowed Heaven (Gallo)
The Corrs have a lot going for them: they’re sexy (most men simply edit out the brother Corr in their minds), have beautiful voices, a proven knack for catchy Irish pop and Madiba likes them. It’s probably impossible for them to have an album that flops. And while Borrowed Heaven is therefore as wholesome as mom’s bobotie, it’s also as predictable. It’s just more of the same fiddle-riddled happiness that Corrs fans will doubtlessly love. — RW
Springbok Nude Girls: Goddank vir Klank (Sony)
South Africa’s famous rockers recently reunited for a countrywide tour that ended with an electrifying show at Oppikoppi last weekend (joined by Brendan Jury on stage). It was nice to see the Nudies of old, simply letting their powerful rock hits win over the audience with a few crafty tweaks here and there, instead of the noisy grandstanding of their last shows before they broke up. This release goes along nicely with all that. It comprises two discs: the first being The Fat Lady Sings, their best-of collection released after their demise, and the second a collection of rare and unreleased material — which is where the album’s true value lies. Nudies fans surely own all the boys’ hits by now, but on disc two the band’s versatility and creativity is on display, ranging from the foot-tapping old Wingerdrock tune Papa (sic) Ek Wil ‘n Popster Word to the über-funky Hamselam and Enemy in Me, an a cappella version of Stay with choral support, trippy mixes of Supergirl and I Love You, the classical composition of Baseball (performed by the South African National Chamber Orchestra) and much more to enjoy. It’s good enough to be sold separately, really. — RW
Various: Spider-Man II (Sony)
These days movie soundtracks released on CD are often just a collection of pop or rock tracks (that aren’t even in the film, sometimes) rather than music specifically composed for the movie. This album at least gives a nod in the latter direction with two of Danny Elfman’s compositions tacked on to the end — the Spidey Suite and Doc Ock Suite, both suitably dramatic. The other 14 easy-going pop-rock tracks include decent contributions by Train, Lostprophets, Switchfoot (whose Meant to Live hopefully won’t be a one-hit wonder) and Maroon 5. No real musical heroics here, but it saves the day. — RW