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/ 13 October 2006
<strong>CD of the week</strong>: The Narrow: Self-Conscious
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/ 13 October 2006
“There’s an old Italian saying: you fuck up once, you lose two teeth,” growls crime boss Tony Soprano in the hit drama series The Sopranos. Fans of this tough but troubled character (played so well by James Gandolfini) and his two families — his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and kids, and his gun-toting crime associates […]
<strong>CD of the week</strong>: Mettalica: St Anger
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/ 5 September 2006
One of South Africa’s foremost young jazz musicians, saxophonist Moses Khumalo (27), was found dead in his house in Honeydew, west of Johannesburg, on Monday September 4, West Rand police said. Khumalo’s girlfriend, who last saw the musician on Friday, went to check on him and found his body hanging in the house, police said.
A newly formed action group is calling on South African businesses and private individuals to donate money to take out a full-page advertisement in a national newspaper protesting against the lack of alternatives in the country’s telecommunications sector. The group says a full-page advert in a national newspaper such as the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> will require approximately R50 000.
It’s the ‘Lord of the Rings’ of music concerts. The cast is stellar, the sets dramatic and the costumes fancy, and it carries on for hours.
Michael Buble has already done remarkably well in bringing the style of the crooners of olden days to a new generation. Now the young Jamie Cullum sets down the same path on <i>Twentysomething</i>, keeping to the jazzy, easy-listening style that has been given a shot in the arm with the popularity of the likes of Norah Jones, Buble and Diana Krall, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
She’s young, she’s a babe and the booklet of her debut CD, <i>Got to Have It</i>, folds out into a sexy mini poster. She sings upbeat R&B pop. Jerusha Naidoo could easily have been just another clone from the overproduced Christina Aguilera mould, another young South African starlet desperately trying to make it on to the charts. But look closer, urges Riaan Wolmarans.
Trevor Ncube, CEO of Johannesburg-based M&G Media, which publishes the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> and <i>M&G Online</i>, has been elected, for the second time, as president of Print Media South Africa (PMSA) by its incoming board, the association said in a statement released on Thursday.
<i>Sweet-Thorn</i> is as gentle and tender as Gito Baloi’s death was violent. Riaan Wolmarans listens to Baloi’s last project, co-written and co-produced with Nibs van de Spuy.
Not much has been left to fate as the yearly Oppikoppi music festival approaches once again, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
<b>CD OF THE WEEK</b>: Riaan Wolmarans reviews Taliep Petersen’s latest offering, <i>Deur Dik en Dun</i>, as well as other new releases on the shelf.
<b>NOT QUITE THE CD OF THE WEEK</b>: Riaan Wolmarans reviews former Verve vocalist, Richard Ashcroft’s latest offering <i>Keys to the World</i>.
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> On her new album, <i>Wildflower</i>, Sheryl Crow is not quite the rock chick any more. And though the instant likeability of past Crow hits occasionally shines through, this is an album that’s hard to care for, writes Riaan Wolmarans. Also reviews of the Foo Fighters, DJ Jazzy D, Ry Cooder and others.
Gauteng residents have been promised more visible policing, more roadblocks and improved 10111 call centres as part of an intensive new crime-fighting strategy to be implemented over the next six months — although an analyst has pointed out that parts of the strategy look like "more of the same".
One of the many thrilling items on this year’s Arts Alive programme in Johannesburg is Freedom to Dance, a huge party that brings together house, hip-hop and kwaito, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> A new Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album is certainly an alluring event, especially after a four-year hiatus, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
Old favourites Live have a new album out, and newcomers Fall Out Boy and Hard-Fi make the headlines too, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
Zimbabwe has failed to learn from its past history of segregation, subjugation, and repression of dissenting and alternative voices with regard to media freedom, the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe said on Wednesday, World Press Freedom Day, as it called for the creation of an independent media council in the country.
Riaan Wolmarans asks Arno Carstens about the Samas, gigging in Britain and working with the Nudies again.
The African National Congress on Friday lashed out at media reports on its national executive committee’s approach to the hoax e-mail saga, including a <i>Mail & Guardian</i> report claiming there is a rift between ANC president Thabo Mbeki and secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe on this matter.
<i>Mail & Guardian</i> business reporter Lloyd Gedye was named a joint winner in the category for new journalists at the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year award ceremony, held on Tuesday evening at The Castle in Kyalami. <i>M&G Online</i> publisher Matthew Buckland also received a special mention at the awards.
As the rape trial of former president Jacob Zuma unfolds, use this timeline to keep track of the most important events of each day of the trial.
Endless queues and a very thirsty crowd in a jam-packed stadium made Riaan Wolmarans give up on seeing Metallica live.
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/ 7 February 2006
At Christmas, it was handy to give best-of CDs to friends as gifts: easy to find, easy to please. Now, after the long month of January, payday has come again, so why not spoil yourself in the same way? Riaan Wolmarans has more.
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/ 1 February 2006
Google has quietly launched a beta version of Google News South Africa, a new section of the popular Google News service that includes a prominent focus on South African news from websites such as the <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i>, <i>iAfrica.com</i>, and <i>News24</i>.
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/ 20 January 2006
Nine concerts, 150 bands, two million spectators, three billion viewers — and one message to eight men in one room. Riaan Wolmarans reviews the Live8 concerts DVD.
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/ 20 January 2006
<b>CD OF THE WEEK</b>: The Canadian Timmins clan’s trademark wistful, forlorn sound sprawls over their latest release, <i>Early 21st Century Blues</i>, writes Riaan Wolmarans. Also read new reviews of Limp Bizkit, Frank Black, Clout and others.
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/ 30 November 2005
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> She’s dropped the political posturing that grabbed headlines when she did <i>American Life</i>; <i>Confessions on a Dance Floor</i> is Madonna for the party people, writes Riaan Wolmarans. We also review Franz Ferdinand’s new release.
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/ 3 November 2005
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> Jamie Cullum delivers a slightly more modern sound on his new album than on his previous two, and his subject matter is also a bit more hip — possibly to inject some life into his somewhat staid fan club, writes Riaan Wolmarans. Also new reviews of Jill Scott, Hugh Masikela, Leela James and more.
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> Few bands come with such a sterling reputation for emotive music as that of the Dave Matthews Band, so there are always high expectations of any of this award-winning and often-touring group’s new albums, writes Riaan Wolmarans.
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/ 2 September 2005
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> For their new album The Parlotones have borrowed from Brit-pop and Brit-rock, but didn’t let these styles dictate the direction of their creativity, writes Riaan Wolmarans.