Simphiwe Dana: An Evening with Simphiwe Dana — Live in Concert (Gallo)
It’s hard to categorise Simphiwe Dana’s music. She takes elegant expressions from her rich isiXhosa mother tongue, combines them with a jazz undertone and creates a sound that is deeply soulful and lyrical. Her new album is a classic and will be enjoyed by South Africans from all backgrounds. An Evening with Simphiwe Dana — Live in Concert was recorded in front of an appreciative audience at the Lyric Theatre. It’s available on DVD and CD. The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Miagi Youth Orchestra accompany her. A less-assured artist than Dana could have been overwhelmed by it but she remains who she is: larger than life, with a dynamic and powerful voice. Dana pays tribute to the 1960s with renditions of Miriam Makeba’s songs Malaika and Lakutshon ‘ilanga, a fitting tribute from one diva to another.
Dana’s music is reminiscent of other musical legends such as Abigail Kubeka and Letta Mbuli, especially when she combines jazz with the African experience. Look out for Inkwenkwezi, a song dedicated to a lover who is “a light in the darkness”. It’s a melodic duet performed with another sensational vocalist, the operatic Mthwakazi. Then there’s Ilolo, the story of a lonely celebrity, lost in the limelight. Bantu Biko Street is a call to young people to look at their lives and to follow the example of their leaders. Listening to this CD is like a decadent cheesecake with a hot cappuccino on a cold winter’s morning. Listen to it in your car on a long drive, or at home with friends.