Despite claiming to be “music from and inspired” by the motion picture Tsotsi, the Tsotsi soundtrack (Ghetto Ruff) is actually little more than a compilation of the label’s best talent in recent years, with Zola as the crown prince.
In the film, only recognisable Zola tracks such as Umdlwembe, Zingu 7 and Bhambatha appear. These and other songs by the kwaito star are peppered throughout the two-disc soundtrack.
Disc one is disappointing, if only for the same reasons that make it indispensable. It has little in the form of new material, bristling instead with ghetto classics such as Zola’s Ghetto Scandalous, Mapaputsi’s Izinja, Pitch Black Afro’s Matofotofo and Brickz’ more recent runaway scorcher, Tjovitjo.
Still, it would be dishonest to ignore the oddball pairing of RJ Benjamin and Pitch Black Afro on Restless. The track plays out like R&B of the highest pedigree, until the gap-toothed one lends a comedic accent to the proceedings and it sort of implodes.
The high point on disc one is probably the hopeful melancholy of Tuks’s soul drenched Pressure Point.
Disc two abounds with newer material and, as a result, is instantly more commanding. The production is more playful and chaotic, as is evident on tracks such as Tuks’s Clap and Muggz, Prokid, Sgebi and Omen’s Realness. Amu takes this experimentation down a different path, with Madlib-like mood shifting on the introspective Soul to Keep.
The generally avant-garde slant of the disc is perhaps best illustrated by 37mph’s reckless and glitchy All in the Name of Fun. Continuing in a similar vein, he turns in what is arguably the soundtrack’s song-most-inspired-by-the-movie, the Ishmael and Bongz-manned C.R.A.Z.Y. The tune might soon represent the blueprint in terms of maskandi sampling, and definitely establishes 37mph as a producer with infinite promise — if you didn’t already know that.
The Tsotsi soundtrack is not the watershed moment in this country’s music export history that Ghetto Ruff promised, but it does come strapped with secret weapons aplenty.
Soundbites
DJ Jazzy D
Another Story (Electromode)
South African DJ and producer Jazzy D delivers lightweight, upbeat house and cheerful funky pop with a smattering of vocals. Songs such as Mekuku and Marabastad are irresistible, and Mshenguville is a real dance-floor stomper. TK lends her voice to Feelings Mutual and a version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, where her vocals clash with the speedy rhythm. A plus is Jazzy D’s take on old chestnut That’s What Friends Are For; a minus is his version of that wedding nightmare the Clap Clap Song, which doesn’t become less awful. — Riaan Wolmarans
Fiona Apple
Extraordinary Machine (Sony BMG)
It has been six years since the last Fiona Apple album and at times it may have seemed that Extraordinary Machine might never happen. Apple, unsatisfied with the original recording under producer Jon Brion, chose to re-record the album under the watchful supervision of Mike Elizondo. It is now more stripped back than the extravagant Brion production, choosing to remain close to Apple’s aesthetic of albums past. This may indeed leave her fans content, for Extraordinary Machine is not a bad album, but it does leave me questioning why I should invest my time listening to more of the same. It is an overly slick album of songs for the brokenhearted, but why choose this album when Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones have done this so much better before? — Lloyd Gedye
Rosanne Cash
Black Cadillac (Capitol)
Losing a parent is often a time for reflection and introspection. Roseanne Cash lost three parents in two years and unsurprisingly her new album, Black Cadillac, is an intense collection of songs drenched in loss and love. Yet this album is on the whole not one of sorrow, although at times it has its moments of grief. It is neither sentimental nor clichéd. It is a powerful statement of a daughter and an artist reflecting on her loss and, as she says in the liner notes, “coming to the understanding that relationships founded on love do not end when one person leaves the planet”. The daughter of Johnny Cash and stepdaughter of June Carter has produced a new chapter in the rich canon of country music, a stunningly diverse album to fall back on when the world seems to have you beat. It’s a shame that it took loosing her loved ones for Cash to produce her best album to date. — Lloyd Gedye
DJ Jazzy D
Another Story (Electromode)
South African DJ and producer Jazzy D delivers lightweight, upbeat house and cheerful funky pop with a smattering of vocals. Songs such as Mekuku and Marabastad are irresistible, and Mshenguville is a real dance-floor stomper. TK lends her voice to Feelings Mutual and a version of Somewhere over the Rainbow where her vocals clash with the speedy rhythm. A plus is Jazzy D’s take on old chestnut That’s What Friends Are for; a minus is his version of that wedding nightmare the Clap Clap Song, which doesn’t become less awful. — Riaan Wolmarans
Juliette and the Licks
You’re Speaking My Language (Hassle)
Film star Juliette Lewis turns into a gritty bad girl of rock in this five-piece outfit who play defiant rock’n’roll topped by Lewis’s angrily snarled vocals. She’s full of attitude — “I wipe my face off and give you your kisses back” goes the opener and title track — but sometimes lays it on a bit thick and becomes grating (though The Licks should be a great act to see live). When the tempo slows down, like on the bluesy ballad This I Know, her textured voice works quite well. Todd Morse, Kemble Walters and Paul Ill deliver fine guitar work, and the liner design is terribly elegant. — Riaan Wolmarans
Raul Midon
State of Mind (EMI)
This album is a mixture of jazz, Latin and R&B — the trinity of Raul Midon’s musical style. It’s music without barriers: more than a crossover, a crossbreed. Listening to this production, the promise of a performance beyond the mundane avails, so be sure to make a date with Midon, if he ever comes to South Africa. Fans of Blk Sonshine will enjoy the flow of this album and appreciate its classical aura. For those accustomed to digitised drums, this may sound like a demo needing computer-generated rhythm, but jazz cats and folk fans will enjoy Midon’s ability to pinch the guitar until it whines in a fine expression of originality. Yes, he’s talented, but the guest artists also deliver a punch. Stevie Wonder, who has an apparent influence on Midon’s voice, wonderfully harmonises on Expressions of Love. On track 12, Midon’s exceptional mouth trumpet is skilfully intertwined with Dave Valentine’s lovely flute, and Jason Mraz magnifies the reggae sounds of Keep on Hoping with his precise whistle solo. This is the soundtrack to a divine state of mind. — Gadaffi Zulu
Rammstein
Rosenrot (Universal)
The German rock drama queens return. Of course most of their fans outside Germany don’t have a clue what they’re singing; they simply get swept up in the raw, hard and dramatic industrial metal compositions, over-the-top stage shows and lead vocalist Till Lindeman’s growl. On Rosenrot, opener Benzin, Zerstören and a few other songs deliver exactly what the fans want, but the title track plods along in a laid-back manner, Wo Bist Du is rather dour and the last two tracks, Feuer und Wasser and Ein Lied, are ballads, believe it or not. Then, possibly as a nod to their international audience, Stirb Nicht vor Mir (Don’t Die Before I Do) is a duet with Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri that sounds like an Andrew Lloyd Webber offcut from Phantom, and Te Quiero Puta! is a Spanish song with terribly cheesy horns. Rosenrot is no Sehnsucht — listen before you buy. — Riaan Wolmarans