[.ca] Cruel Crazy Beautiful World

YES YES YES!!!:
I really can't improve on the previous reviews of this excellent CD, but I certainly want to add my praise for an amazing piece of work. I literally stumbled across this gem that I might never have had the chance to hear; there is a snippet of "Dela" in the movie "George of the Jungle", and after about an hour of re-winding over & over to hear what I could of this mesmerizing song, I finally thought to see if the artist had a CD available. As so many others already knew, Johnny Clegg is a prolific, widely-known, and well-respected South African artist. Magical, lyrical, mystical, but totally accessible; this is music that won't let you hold still when you hear it and will reach you in ways you may never have experienced before. If you are looking for something fresh and different, or you want to broaden your musical horizons, you can't go wrong here.

The Best Johnny Clegg Album:
Johnny Clegg is a man caught between two worlds. On one hand, his music is so infectious that you can't help but get caught up in the sheer joy of Savuka's masterly blend of Zulu sounds and western pop. On the other hand, there is the dark heart of politics that informed Clegg's life as a white man leading a multi-racial band in South Africa during the clashes of that nation's violent struggles in change. This not a lightly made statement, Clegg lost a band member to street violence and close friends to political assassinations. It is that friction that informs "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World." As soon as the insistent chorus of "One (Hu)man, One Vote" pounds out of the speaker, you can feel the urgency that beats behind it. Yet the heart that wants to find a better world for his children in the title song right after "One Vote" moves the urgency from the head to the heart and feet. In fact it's hard to not swing or dance while this album plays. It's like a challenge Savuka issues to your spirit and your social conscience. You need to think while you listen to "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World." And more than that, you need to dance.

Infectious:
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!

GET OFF YOUR FEET!:
You cannot sit still while listening to Johnny Clegg and Savuka. You can't help but get up and dance. This is a great album. I was fortunate to see them in concert several times in 1990 in Canada and I was so impressed with the music and the dancing. You really have to see the group in concert to understand the whole Johnny Clegg/Savuka experience. I was lucky to meet Johnny and his group, too, and they are all wonderful, kind people. I admire his music and lyrics so much. Yes, BUY THIS CD!!

Crazy, Beautiful Album:
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.

• One (Hu) 'Man One Vote
• Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World
• Jericho
• Dela
• Moliva
• It's an Illusion
• Bombs Away
• Woman Be My Country
• Rolling Ocean
• Warsaw 1943
• Vezandlebe