Nigel Kennedy and the Berlin Philharmoniker: Vivaldi
The target audience for Nigel Kennedy’s latest offering would no doubt be those looking for a recording of the Four Seasons — probably the most-recorded work in the history of music (perhaps second only to Beethoven’s Fifth).
So what has Kennedy added to make Vivaldi (EMI), his second recording of the piece, appealing? Nothing.
The only way to distinguish it from his first, mediocre recording is a slightly higher (and unnecessary) overall tempo, an occasional misguided flourish and a fuller sound provided by the Berlin Philharmonic.
One can forgive Anne-Sophie Mutter for recording the Seasons twice. Her second attempt at recording it was a vast improvement on her first — a definitive performance (yet by no means the best available).
The same cannot be said of Kennedy. EMI bears the most responsibilty for unnecessarily swelling the catalogue with this dog-eared work and should strongly advise its classical artists to steer clear of it.
Perhaps the Four Seasons was included to encourage interest in the other Vivaldi works on the disc: his Concerto for Two Violins in D Major and Concerto for Two Violins, Strings and Continuo in A Minor.
These works, at least, are rendered competently, although at times heavy-handedly, by Kennedy and Daniel Starbrawa. They are fresh, vibrant and — most importantly — short.
Dozi: Rockin the World (EMI)
Here is an album reminiscent of an afternoon in a South African bar, beer in hand, listening to the guy in the corner with his guitar doing covers of old favourites: the sort of album for a lazy Sunday afternoon, with a few Afrikaans sokkie tracks for good measure. Unfortunately his accent adapts to sound like the original with each cover — it would have been a much more remarkable album if it wasn’t so patently an attempt to recreate the original songs. The first track, Ossewa, about an ossewa with a V6 engine, is … erm … interesting. — Nicola Mawson
Jodan: Water (Bowline)
Oh dear, maybe this blonde hunk is just a pretty face, after all. Water — a mix of English and Afrikaans Jodan originals and covers — overflows with synthetic, lifeless backing music and limp vocals. He has a good voice, but it’s wasted on trashy (to be kind) covers of Anneli van Rooyen and Laura Branigan songs. Not the album of the year, to say the least. — Riaan Wolmarans
The Rockets: Sweet Lady (Bowline)
This evergreen Cape Town outfit continue to belt out the hits. Newcomers Marshal Martogh and LeRoi Kroneberg have infused a touch of the contemporary to a tried-and-tested music recipe. This is a competent R&B album that should hold its own against anything in the genre. If you love your R&B for its musical quality and not because it has a made-in-the-United States label, this is a CD to have. Watch out for the track Dreaming of You. — Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya
Silicon Fly: Here We Are (Bowline)
A word of advice for this young rock band: go back, practise, work on the production and try to be more original. Much more original. And drop the cover of Little Lies, please. — RW