Customer Reviews

Cruel Crazy Beautiful World

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Neglected in the US, Johnny Clegg is a huge star in Europe and is as precious as all those diamonds and gold mined in South Africa. Johnny would rather we focus on the music than his politics but the man's impact on the destruction of the apartheid state is indisputable - go to his web site to see picture of Johnny on stage accompanied by a dancing Nelson Mandela.... This is wonderful, joyful, powerful music and I must quote one of Clegg's lyrics to convey the music's impact. "When I feel the hidden power that lies inside your sound, like the ghost inside the atom that spins it round and round." The power his music unleashes is like the power in an atom and it's a great metaphor for what he's accomplished through his music. Once again, skillfull production by Hilton Rosenthal adds to the powerful delivery of Johnny's work.

I saw Johnny Clegg and Savuka 3 times in the early 90's. Fantastic musical performances from a man who danced Zulu style with all the athleticism of a... say Michael Jordon or John Elway! At one show in Boulder Colorado, the audience would not let the band leave, they did a staggering 5 encoures! After the show, I spotted Johnny walking to his car, I was on the street. I shouted "Hey Johnny" and he was humble enough to walk across about 50 yards to come over and have a word. This man is the real deal. Considering what was going on in South Africa when he made this recording, he's lucky to be alive. God Bless Johnny Clegg, his music is definitely a divine gift.

This album simply rocks on every level - the songwriting, the backing vocals and instruments, Johnny Clegg's absolutely fabulous interpretations. And a big bonus - the CD actually sounds good, unlike the poor production and mastering that too often hides the brilliance of African musical artists. Whereas Paul Simon's attempt to meld African and Western styles was well-intentioned but lacking in authenticity, Johnny Clegg is the real deal. He paid his dues in every conceivable way. And as the only white guy to "get it right" and join the ranks of Fela, Rogie, Prince Nico, Manu Dibango, Olatunje, Mahotella Queens, Black Mambazo, Rochereau, Sonny Ade, Salif Keita, Miriam Makeba and Youssou N'Dour as true continental superstars, it's surprising how little respect he seems to get in his homeland. Any second-rate US musician is well-known in SA (at least in the mid-Rand and up-country where I anecdotally polled) and pulls thousands into the stadiums, but you get embarrassed sideward glances if you bring up Johnny Clegg's name in white or mixed areas. The black Africans tend to give him more credit, but if the world were fair and music were apolitical, this album (and Savuka in general) would be an unqualified epiphany.

It's pretty hard to pick a best album by Johnny, because all of his output is so strong, but if I had to pick one, this would be it. Johnny's eclectic mix of `a little rock, a little reggae, and a little jazz' with his trademark African music presages the whole World Beat phenomena by at least a decade. His music is irresistibly catchy and will make you want to dance. Upbeat, hopeful but world weary and wise, Johnny's lyrics reflect his South African upbringing. It is appropriate that he should have seen both the end of the Berlin Wall and Apartheid. A giant awakens indeed. Johnny writes highly political songs, slice of life narratives and superb love songs. In fact, his finest love song is found here with the excellent `Dela' sample lyrics: `A blind bird sings inside the cage that is my heart, the image of your face comes to me when I'm alone in the dark, if I could give a shape to this ache that I have for you, if I could find the voice that says the words that capture you, I think I know...'. Every song on this album kills (including the infectious bonus track, `Vezandlebe') but worthy of special note are the title track, One (Hu)Man One Vote', and Warsaw 1945, the later will bring tears to your eyes. Johnny Clegg may well be the finest musician of our time; it's a pity that he has been largely ignored in the US. I recommend all his albums; they all rate five stars.

I've been a fan of Johnny Clegg & Savuca since the very first time I heard them in the late '80's .. at that time they were making the rounds and had been on The Johnny Carson Show, The Today Show and Saturday Night Live (sounds like NBC had a monopoly on the visionary aspect of programming!). I caught every single performance and then had the opportunity to catch them live at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center. They were the opening act, but they blew the headliner out of the water with their brightly colored costumes, Zulu war dances, musical proficiency and intelligent, humorous, sensitive and socially pertinent lyrics. I have four of their recordings (and love them all), but this one is easily my favorite. I only wish there was another coming ..

Johnny Clegg is one of my all time favorite artists, and this is my favorite among his albums. Despite the turbulent political and social climate in South Africa, Clegg's music is joyful and optimistic. The lyrics, whether they are funny or serious (or both) are of a quality too rarely seen. "Dela", a decade on, is still unmatched for pure joyousness- it was the best part of the film "George of the Jungle"! Listen to this album, you'll be glad you did!

This was the first album that blew me away on first listen. From the opening tribal chanting of "One (Hu) Man, One Vote" I knew I was in for a musical journey my ears have never heard before. This album perfectly encapsulates the era of its time (the cautious optimism of 1989-1990 when communist regimes were falling in Europe and apartheid was heading in that direction), but manages to relate to current events as well, nearly 15 years later.

The song "Jericho" could very well describe the conditions at Guantanamo Bay, the recent Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and the wall being built in Israel: "standing at the gates/this is Jericho/and the walls reach up to the stars/and outside we were singing psalms/such a strange, strange place/for we are the prisoners of the prisoners we have taken/and the prophets' dreams are now forsaken."

In "One (Hu) Man, One Vote", Johnny sings, "the west is sleeping in a fragile freedom/forgotten is the price that was paid/ten thousand years of marching through a veil of tears/to break a few links in these chains/these things come to us by way of much pain/don't let us slip back into the dark."

Its not all politics, though. His catchy, danceable love song, "Dela" is guaranteed to get your feet and body moving. It was featured in the film "George of the Jungle" and remains one of the best love songs I've ever heard.

My personal favorite song is "Woman Be My Country", for its beautiful melody and lyrics, sweetened by a saxophone. This song is for anyone who feels like a stranger in his own country, an ex-patriot who disagrees with his government as it relates to the world. When we feel powerless to change the cold, impersonal bureaucracy, we seek refuge in the ones nearest and dearest to our hearts: "woman be my country/'till my country can be mine/hide me deep inside your borders/in these dark and troubled times/remember me my innocence/before I drown in a sea of lies/woman be my country/'till my country can be mine."

In short, this album is Johnny's most moving, brilliant, and best work. It is emblematic of an era in history, a soundtrack to the times, that transcends its era to represent relevancy in current situations. It is quite simply, Johnny Clegg's own "Sgt. Pepper" or "Pet Sounds". On top of that, the album cover is also one of the best ones I've seen and perhaps the best one of nearly 25 albums of his. Highly recommended, especially for any fan of world music, anyone who wants to hear a different sound than they hear on the radio, or people interested in the politics of Africa, the developing world, the Cold War, or the remarkable years that 1989-1991 were.

There are many good reasons to buy this CD--Johnny Clegg's activism, the seamless melding of "township" and rock styles, the socially relevant content of the lyrics, and the simple fact that Johnny Clegg and Savuka have paid their dues. The best reason, however, is that it's just a good listen--seamless, well-produced, complex, compelling, and never boring. This is still my favorite of all of Clegg's work, and I've been listening to it for more than ten years now.

Funky, fun and imbued with all the passion of South Africa just prior to the end of apartheid, this album deals with love, hate, parenthood, freedom, marriage and war always with a winning combination of powerful beauty and enthusiasm. "Dela" later became the funky love song everyone recognized from the movie "George of the Jungle". This is simply a stunning work of art.

I, like many, stumbled onto Johnny Clegg & Savuka! In a bar in San Francisco of all places. This CD came on the sound system and stopped my conversation! It was so infectious that I asked the bartender who it was, and bought the CD the next day. It became one of my favorites, and remains a jubilant and transcending collection of music!

I discovered this album completely by accident but have enjoyed its mystical -- haunting (in a good way) and fun -- mix of tunes. "Dela (I Know Why the Dog Howls at the Moon)" is still one of my all-time favorite songs. Very lovely and poetic lyrics. "Jericho" is a hauntingly beautiful melody that, like all the songs on this album, tells a story that deserves to be told and to live on. I highly recommend this album to those who are into storytelling lyrics about our "cruel, crazy, beautiful world." After all, "it's your world, so live in it!"