KEB’MO
- The Door (Sony)
Keb’Mo’s smooth, fetching blues style is
a soothing experience with an unsolicited relaxing effect. What a relief and breath
of fresh air it is to hear some REAL music played by real people of actual instruments
as opposed to the recipe driven, programmed crap we’re fed on a daily basis.
- PB
4 / B KING
KOOBA - Nufoundfunk
This totally amazing album combines an oldfunk
mentality with modern energy and technology, creating a superb mood for the now.
Kinda sleazy, almost trippy but always cool, the cinematically presented package
features, or at least, co-stars with King Kooba: Melissa Heathcote, D’Jaine, Dr
Gregory X, V. Love, Simon “Palmskin” Richmond, Max Sedgely and The East Access
Orchestra; with Screenplay by Anna Hashmi, Produced by Charlie Tate and Directed
by Matt Harris. A phenomenal album to be enjoyed over and over. Nufoundfunk
is a very hip slice of sound that doesn’t get boring or predictable, or merely
rips off sounds from the past.
- PB
5 / A KITTIE
- Spit (Sony)
Yummy. What could be better for a young man (and some
ladies) into the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit to have four girls
(around 16-18 years of age) let rip with a nu-metal burst that makes you sit up,
listen and really look. The looking’s made even more fun with this enhanced CD
containing a photo gallery and video of their plug track Brackish to be
perused on your PC. Looverly. Many of the remaining tracks burst out with a far
more hardcore (and relaxed) approach than the chosen radio song. But, let’s be
honest, the music is straight forward, at times monotonous and predictable, but
it hasn’t been since Drain (from Sweden) that we had a hard band that looked
and sounded as tasty as these young Canadians. They might be diminutive in age,
but they are large of voice, instrument, attitude & viewpoint. With an audio aggression
(and subtlety) housed in such lovely shells, you can’t help but to overlook any
reservations you might have. Even if they’re a marketing ploy, it’s far more real
than any corrupt Spice Girls / Backstreet Boys concoction. Stroking
these girls might get you scratched, but it’ll be well worth it. [PS. It’s totally
bizarre to think that some of these ladies were around 3 years old when SA’s Voice
Of Destruction (the band I play drums for) was born…]
- PB
4 /
B
KOOS
KOMBUIS - Greatest Hits (Gallo)
Andre’ Letoit has become a true South
African artistic icon and cult figure in the shape of Koos Kombuis, be it in his
poetry, books, plays or music. This compilation encapsulates 17 of his finest
musical moments from the moving Lisa Se Klavier to the sosio-political
Boer In Beton or hilarious Ou Tannie Blues. By no means trying to
draw any Bob Dylan parallels, it is important to mention how the varying vocal
inability of Koos counts in his favour. The raw beauty, reality and provocative
soul of his words are just that much more real when uttered with his own voice
- a voice not concerned with rock stardom. Even if you’ve never been much of a
Koos Kombuis fan, this album is an essential compilation of a piece of South African
history, produced by a living legend.
- PB
6 / A KORN
- Follow the Leader
The band on everyone's lips expand here into the
sound they helped build. Still filled with anger, distress and angst, they seemed
to have calmed down slightly. The power is still there, it's just re-directed
with Jonathan Davis "singing" more, but not leaving the screaming behind. The
simplicity of the songs are part of their instant memorable appeal. It's catchy
as hell and shit heavy, although sometimes the bass guitar is a bit too flappy
& clacky for my liking. The bagpipes kick. Guest artists include Ice Cube
and vocalists from Limp Bizkit and Pharcyde. Cheech Marin appear
on the marvelous hidden track, a cover of the Cheech & Chong song Earache
My Eye. The fact that the songs start playing from track 13 might be novel
at first (unless you're superstitious), unless its a publishing loophole, the
sleeve tracks noted 1-13, not 13-25... The subtly morbid cover art is by Spawn
creator Todd McFarlane.
- PB
5 / A KORN
- Issues (Epic)
One of the reining kings in the Nu-Metal arena has
their very distinctive (and oft copied) style splash forth with style and balls,
the brimming angst still present. Packed with a bunch of relentless numbers, a
limited edition also features a bonus remix disc. Cover design is by an MTV competitio
winner (runners-up alo pictured inside). Well worth it.
- PB
5 / A KWAITO
JAZZ HOUSE
For years now many people have been advocating the Kwaito world
invasion. It doesn’t seem to have struck that golden rainbow just yet, but with
more morphing exercises like this one, the right formula might just strike the
right chord that the rest of the world is lacking. This Kwaito-Jazz-House amalgamation
seems a bit overboard or pushing the envelope a little, but that’s the only way
to land something more interesting - not necessarily original, but just different
enough to not be another bore. The tracks on this disc has enough rhythm and bounce
to keep you going for a good while.
- PB
4 / A |
