The best Sunday music on any blog today!
Welcome to the first volume of Blog Vibes, and thanks to everyone who sent a song for this feature. I can’t think of any artist who encompasses the values of this blog more than Brenda Fassie does. South African, dynamic, uninhibited, generous, vibrant, honest, easy to love – flaws and all! I hope you’ll have as much fun listening to the music as I had collecting it.
When it was her turn to sing for the president, MaBrrr made sure Madiba didn’t just sit there clapping along with a smile on his face; girl got him off his chair! When Brenda got on stage, you just wanted to reach out, hold her close to you and make her sing only for you. Here she sings Vulindlela at the KORA Awards in 2001. PLAY SONG
James Brown – It’s a Man’s World – Henrik Schwarz Remix
I had no idea that James Brown was one of the most sampled artists in history until The Lost and Found shared this track with the blog. The Lost and Found is a music and lifestyle brand that you absolutely have to follow on Facebook and Twitter for all things musical! The guys at The Lost and Found chose this Henrik Schwarz Remix, a soulful, jazzy build-up to a sexy house climax with a touch of rock lingering lazily in the background. PLAY SONG
Queen Ifrica – Serve and Protect
Andries Tatane. Kelly Thomas. Mido Macia. Marikana mine workers. Bongani Mkhize. Kwazi Ndlovu. Oscar Grant. Christopher Harris. Rodney King – I just couldn’t leave Queen Ifrica’s ‘Serve and Protect’. PLAY SONG
Rikki Ililonga and Musi-O-Tunya – Dark Sunshine
This song chosen by a jazz loving blog follower was my first experience of ‘Zamrock’, a fusion of traditional sounds from Zambia and its neighbouring countries, and the rock subculture. PLAY SONG
Cast of ‘Sarafina’ – The Lord’s Prayer
I bet you also wanted to stop the movie and rewind when you first heard the cast of Sarafina do their take of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. You will recognize more than a handful of familiar, though much younger, faces in this music video. PLAY SONG
The Lost Boyz – Me and My Crazy World
The Lost Boyz found their way into many hearts with ‘Me and My Crazy World’. After all, who can’t relate to a love triangle? Quite a few of you asked for it and here it drops. PLAY SONG
I laughed long and hard when I listened to the music of Judge Dread, the first white musician to top the charts in Jamaica. The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes him as having the most banned songs ever with 11 of his songs deemed unsuitable for public consumption. This track, Donkey Dick, should tell you why… PLAY SONG
Mpondwa Ndamase, an employee at Microsoft, told me this blog post would be pointless without the video clip of Amy Winehouse singing ‘Valerie’ during a recording session in studio. PLAY SONG
Phuzekhemisi no Khethani – Imbizo
‘Imbizo’ breezed past all the tribal and social stereotypes and had everybody singing along to this Phuzekhemisi hit. Phuzekhemisi, real name Zibokwakhe Mnyandu, is a traditionalist who draws from his life experiences to satisfy his eager fans with hard-hitting lyrics and indigenous ‘maskandi’ rhythms. His music was also been banned by the apartheid government. PLAY SONG
Don Maclean – The Day the Music Died – American Pie
La la la la la la la la Bamba! And we all became clueless after the chorus but kept going anyway. This Ritchie Valens rock classic makes you want to dance. Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson and Buddy Holly all died when the plane they were travelling in crashed on 3 February 1959. The deaths of three rock ‘n roll icons on one day in one crash inspired the Don MacLean song ‘American Pie’. PLAY SONG
Tamela Mann – Father Can You Hear Me
Say what you want about Typer Perry movies but you can’t fault the dude on his music selection. ‘Father Can You Hear Me’ makes such a strong impact in the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman. PLAY SONG
We absolutely have to do this again soon. I hope you enjoyed the first ever Blog Vibes session.
