VALIANT
SWART - Deur Die Donker Vallei (Wildebeest Records)
The Blues / Rock
king from Stellenbosch is back with another smooth, sliding bit of SA pop history.
Thirteen tracks of Afrikaans tracks filled with the celebration of hitting the
road, missing your darling, the country that is South Africa, life and all the
valleys through which we find ourselves on our trials, tribulations and travels,
be it internally or for real. With a little bit of a country/boeremusiek atmosphere
dribbling through, it does however not retract from its poetry and blues/rock
attitude. The album has a mysterious, touching feeling of the long road ahead,
and behind you, and all of the things you’ve encountered, are experiencing and
are about to discover. Many would see this as student pub music, but it’s definitely
far more than that. David Kramer meets Koos Kombuis is also not
a fair description. Valiant has carved his own niche in the SA music industry,
gaining his own identity without having to follow any specifics. With tens of
thousands of miles covered for tours, gigs and festivals, it is no wonder that
Valiant has nurtured such an intimate relationship with the road. Most musicians
will identify with this, but anyone with an ear for music will do the same, even
if their not a rep…[PS. The moody cover artwork and photography is by drummer,
artist & ex my ex-art teacher Vernon Swart]
- PB
4 / B DEON
VAN DER WALT - Portrait (BMG)
This South African tenor has quite a
voice on him as he pelts out fine versions of Verdi, Puccini, Bizet,
Mozart and more. With a fine performance by the Munchener Runfunkorchester,
conducted by world renowned conductor Ralf Weikert, they compliment Deon’s
fine voice wonderfully. Worthy of any international competition, this can be appreciated
by more than just classical music lovers.
- PB
4 / A |
