Freshlyground - Ma`cheri

CD and artwork in excellent condition. CD case will be replaced upon sale.

Why are so few young South African musicians successful on the international market? According to the country's greatest veteran, Miriam Makeba, it's because they have forgotten their roots and are trying to sound American. She's right, but thankfully there are some exceptions, from Simphiwe Dana to Zolani Mahola, the lead singer with the multi-racial Cape Town band Freshlyground. She's influenced by western pop and soul, for sure, but there's a hefty dose of classic township jive in her cheerful, seductive vocals, and she brings a distinctively South African edge to good-time party songs such as Pot Belly or Zulu Lounge, or the rousing Ivana, with its echoes of Johnny Clegg. It's all very entertaining, and there are some strong songs here, but Freshlyground rely too much on their star singer, and, despite the occasional burst of good sax and guitar work, much of the playing is cluttered. Mahola would, I suspect, sound even better working as a soloist, and the pained and poignant Crimson Smile shows that she is capable of handling far more than catchy feelgood songs.