:: Foursounds Productions ::

No doubt now Revolution is a premier group who adds a unique dimension to South African music by its techno-based dance beats. 4 U, like previous offering Roots, doesn’t disappoint: it caters and offers a diverse melting-pot of sounds which are masterfully drawn together by the artful hands of the twin brothers Joseph & George Mothiba. The music’s most important elements are its identity, soul and feeling. 4 U was released amid high expectation by retail and radio, which is reference to the cultural awareness that is contained by the music.

MADUVHA
This is Maduvha's anticipated debut solo album, simply titled "Maduvha". The album was ably co-produced with the twin brothers Joseph and George Mothiba of Revolution fame under the house label Four Sounds Productions. The actual recording of Maduvha started in February this year when the three would take turns to go into the studio when spontaneity allowed. Maduvha and the Mothiba brothers were “working according to inspiration”, so to speak, did not force compositional matters.

Maduvha is book-ended by two urban Venda songs, the captivatingly percussive Fhumulani [Be Quiet], a song that somehow answers critics and gossip-mongering journalists, to the frenetic dance pace of Idani Nothe [Come You All]. It’s a cogent and booming opener followed by the Nu Afro-pop-ish U Lavi Wami [My Lover], inspired by a traditional wedding step song. The song is reminiscent of the hits that used to be churned out by late eighties Afro-pop group Platform One where singer Winnie Khumalo made her mark. But, unusually and interestingly too, U Lavi Wam is written as an outsider-looking-in song as a narrative of a third person.

As if showing the importance of sequencing, U Lavi Wam is followed by the English-only lyric Beautiful, also a third-person narrative of an outsider looking-in on a girl expressing the all-too-clear sentiments for a (somewhat ridiculously) coy man. Possibly Beautiful can be a crossover club anthem. Than there is the self-assurance in the poppy tune It’s Gonna B Alright accompanied by Light of My Life, quiet and dignified in its acoustic rendition with its arch-vocals. Then there's the pleading-for strength ballad Stay, showing Maduvha’s vocal range and versatility and the unmistakeable confirmation that all good soul music originates from gospel.

JOLENE
"Say My Name" is the sultry, seductive opener of The Beginning that is underscored by sensitive arrangement of the music. It’s coming-out statement of a grown-up woman discovering her sexy power. You can feel what the title of the first track says: “Say My Name”.

Then it is followed by the current radio single "La Dulce Vida", one of the three Latinate numbers that make up The Beginning. She sings in her authentic Spanish. It’s refreshingly rich in sound texture. You can imagine flamenco or a salsa. Oh, salsa is the essence of the smashingly sexy "Salsa Moves You". With a Follow up remix , by International DJ Franck Roger, it is the kind perfectly suitable for a steamy salsa that may sink the heart of Judge Tyrone in the TV series Strictly Come Dancing. The sultry come-on "The DJ" ( a Remix of which was done by International DJ Alix Alvarez) is a kind of song that one never imagined possible to be written again on the seductive appeals of a disc-spinner. It’s a song that will make any parent prevent their daughters from going to clubs; make the boyfriends hate DJs or make every boy wished he was a DJ so he could get the girls. When Jolene intones: “Ooh, he was nice. He was oh-so nice!” and “I’m satisfied,” well, you sense something more happened on “last night experience with The DJ” in the kind of night where you don’t have to wear much because it’s so hot. It’s utterly breathtakingly sublime.

JAY
Jay describes his new album "Praise" as a motivational project. His message says keep on keeping on, don't give up. The album brimmes with confessional tunes. When you really spend time and listen to "Praise" the music is focussing on earthly matters. He speaks of things that besiege people on earth and how best they can deal with such issues. This album doesn't promise a good life in heaven but rather gives people options. He says he can't really promise people good life in heaven when he doesn't know anything about it. "I'd rather address problems like poverty, hunger and other social ills". Tracks to watch out in this album include Nkateko, Use Me, Ketsamaya jwale ka bohle and Thando lwam.

Interestingly Jay has moved away from the popular traditional gospel music which often sounds the same. His rhythm is lively, fast paced with some tunes borrowing heavily from instrumentation of old popular South African songs.

ROOTS
In this musical endeavour Revolution have actually grown up. In the music they take along the old as well: “As musicians, you’ve got to understand that people grow up as well. We realised that our fan base has the old and the young. Some of our older fans have grown up since they first heard us. For instance, we took a traditional song "Matsohong" because we realise we have gospel fans as well . We then gave the song a new, house spin but without destroying its soul. We had to respect its integrity that is why we brought a singer credible within the gospels circle - Maduvha. We wouldn’t have brought someone who does not do gospel. That would’ve been disrespect to the song itself. Plus we were able to maintain its feeling. The important thing was to keep the feeling of the song. You might be house head but in Mpumalanga people love their gospel. Knowing those things ground you,” observes Joseph.

Revolution features a number of musicians after their fascination with live instrumentation. First up is the guitarist Jimmy Dludlu in the opening track aptly-titled "Majestic". Dludlu’s association with Revolution dates to an accidental dropping-in by at Four Sounds Studios and being asked to play following his mesmerising performance in the previous Anthem. He again here does not disappoint with his accomplished, polished and suave guitar sound over-laid with suave sheen.

There follows the incredibly majestic (no pun intended) voice of one Maduvha, a former Joyous Celebration member and one of the most underrated, unsigned extraordinary singing talents in the country. Both Joseph & George were amazed by the single takes Maduvha simply delivered when she went into the studio to deliver her vocal lines: the songs were never done in two outtakes and yet the element of vocal improvisation at the beginning of "Light of my Life" would have forced many a singer to do many an outtakes. Yet she never missed a note and no production gadgetry was used to perfect it: yet she retains an unbelievable soul-feeling quality to the two songs she delivers in Roots.

One of their most epiphany moments was when Maduvha delivered a ten-minute chorus without missing a beat. Light of my Life and Matsohong require completely different interpretation when singing them. That Maduvha treats Matsohong over essential house beats yet retains its soul here brought such dignity by her quiet, plainsong voice. She invests the song with true lament-spirit over a the beloved ones’ final journey: it’s such emotional that the songs can be enjoyed without dancing. And this Revolution reckons will appeal to adults as well the young.

NTUMISENG
Ntumiseng, the self-titled debut from Ntumiseng, previously with the telethon-manufactured pop group 101, fits in with the worldwide trends of female artists’ solo albums striking out on their own: it establishes an identity distinct from the previous group and announces that: ‘Here I am. I’ve always had this talent. Now see it for all you can.”

There is a rare self-revealing moment in Ntumiseng and it comes at the end with the perfect pop timeout of just less than two minutes and half Tata Ntombazane [Take That, Girl!] that Ntumiseng the artist, like Ntumiseng Mokhasipe to give her full everyday name, believes herself to be an ordinary girl...
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NGIYABONGA
Finally, Theo Nhlengethwa is here, perhaps the most unexpected and utterly unanticipated release of the year to surprise music industry observers and music buyers. It has taken Theo almost ten years to release solo album unlike other former Boom Shaka members who released as soon as it became impracticable for the group to record together.

A former integral part of Boom Shaka as he exchanged lead vocals with the late Lebo Mathosa, Nhlengethwa delivers his debut solo album. And it may be perfectly argued that the astonishing falsetto that sounded as though belonged to an Arab eunuch, though strangely underrated, was the reason Boom Shaka songs were immediately affective. The last albums of Boom Shaka where Mathosa increasingly assumed lead duties single-handedly, think Words of Wisdom (1998), vocal performances were not as successfully executed as when Theo had been co-lead, if not leading... READ MORE