Another Country (Mango Groove album)
Another Country | ||||
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Afropop | ||||
Length | 46:55 | |||
Label | One World Entertainment | |||
Producer |
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Mango Groove chronology | ||||
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Another Country is the third album by South African
Mango Groove recorded music videos for three songs from the album: "Another Country", "Nice to See You", and "Tropical Rain".
Historical context
Another Country was released several months before
The title song, "Another Country", in particular expressed an optimism about the country's future. It was written by bandmembers Alan Lazar and John Leyden. While the notes for the band's 2006 compilation album Moments Away say that the song was written as "a response to the events surrounding the Boipatong massacre", Femina magazine had previously attributed the song to the assassination of anti-apartheid political leader Chris Hani.[6][7]
Stella Viljoen, an associate professor of
For their 2016 album Faces to the Sun, Mango Groove re-recorded "Another Country" with a duet between Claire Johnston and Zolani Mahola. A music video for the re-recording followed the release of the album. The video was filmed at a concert the band performed on National Women's Day in August 2016.[12]
Music videos
The band recorded
"Tropical Rain"
In "Tropical Rain", which was taped in colour, the band wear various costumes as they play and dance in a tropical setting.
"Nice to See You"
The video for "Nice to See You" is in
"Another Country"
The video for "Another Country" opens on a charcoal drawing animation by William Kentridge of a barren landscape dotted with horn loudspeakers of the sort used in public address systems. Wind howls in the air, but stops when Johnston begins to sing. As she does so, she raises an arm in gesture, and a vessel of water emerges. The scene changes to an animated charcoal drawing of a city. Protestors fill the streets. On one building, images materialise of people who have been injured and killed. Later in the video, the protestors surround the towers of loudspeakers, some of which are now covered and bound. Johnston stands as a giant in a sea of protestors. With a swipe of her arm, she destroys one of the towers. The wrapping of one of the towers forms a bowl, and the protestors leave the streets. The bowl fills to overflowing with water, and the water floods the streets of the city. A radio emerges from the water, and the a stream carries away one of the loudspeakers. The scaffolding of another loudspeaker collapses, and the speaker becomes a bucket from which water flows. Johnston gestures again, and a giant bowl of water appears in the sky over a field of protestors. Their presence is replaced with a lush landscape, and the bowl overflows with water.
Track listing
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Nice to See You" | Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden, Mduduzi Magwaza | 4:32 |
2. | "Keep On Dancing" | Claire Johnston, Banza Kgasoane, John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 3:21 |
3. | "Follow My Mind" | Kevin Botha, Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Kevin Botha, Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 4:41 |
4. | "We Don't Need a Miracle" | Claire Johnston, Alan Lazar, John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 3:44 |
5. | "Shake!" | Banza Kgasoane, John Leyden, Mduduzi Magwaza | 3:07 | |
6. | "Another Country" | John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 4:16 |
7. | "Kindest Part of Love" | John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 3:20 |
8. | "Sometimes" | Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 3:52 |
9. | "Tropical Rain" | Kevin Botha, Banza Kgasoane, Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Claire Johnston, Banza Kgasoane, John Leyden | 3:49 |
10. | "Sweet Sorrow" | Claire Johnston, Alan Lazar | Alan Lazar | 2:33 |
11. | "A New Kind of Love" | Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Alan Lazar, John Leyden | 3:30 |
12. | "Love Will Find a Way" | Claire Johnston, John Leyden | Steve Cooks, Claire Johnston, John Leyden, Mauritz Lotz | 3:29 |
13. | "Dream Softly" | Claire Johnston, John Leyden | John Leyden[14] | 2:41 |
Total length: | 46:55 |
Production
Another Country was recorded over the course of four months at BOP Studios, outside the city of Mafikeng. The recording engineer was Richard Mitchell, who was assisted by Alistair Glyn. The album was produced by bandmember Alan Lazar and bandleader John Leyden; the executive producer was Robert Schröder of Stave Record Productions.
Personnel
Band members
- Claire Johnston - lead vocals
- Belulah Hashe - vocals
- Phumzile Ntuli - vocals
- Banza Kgasoane - trumpet
- Mduduzi Magwaza - alto saxophone, penny whistle
- Kelly Pelane - saxophone
- Alan Lazar - keyboards, piano
- Mauritz Lotz - guitar
- John Leyden - bass, vocals
- Peter Cohen - drums, percussion
See also
Notes
- OCLC 966015704. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Viljoen (2002), pp. 330
- ^ Viljoen (2002), pp. 329–30
- ^ Leyden, Paula (6 December 2013). "Madiba". The Butterfly Heart and the Sleeping Baobab Tree. Paula Leyden. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ Quoted in Viljoen (2002), pp. 331
- ^ Moments Away: Love Songs and Lullabies, 1990–2006 (Media notes). Gallo Record Company. 2006.
- ^ Magoulianiti-McGregor, Nia (2008). "Special Star". Femina, Issues 208–211. Associated Magazines. p. 14 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Stella Viljoen". sun.ac.za. Stellenbosch University. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b Viljoen (2002), p. 331
- IOL. Independent Media. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ Goldstuck, Arthur (30 April 1994). "South African Artists Reflect Optimism, but Rappers Remain Defiant of Authority". Billboard. p. 89. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Mango Groove - Another Country feat. Zolani Mahola [Official Music Video]". YouTube. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Mango Groove: The Essential (Media notes). Gallo Music Vision. 2009.
- ^ Another Country (cassette tape). One World Entertainment. 1993. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
References
- Viljoen, Stella (2002). "En Route to the Rainbow Nation: South African Voices of Resistance". In Young, Richard A. (ed.). Music, Popular Culture, Identities. Rodopi. OCLC 637458279.
External links
- Another Country at Discogs (list of releases)
- Another Country at MusicBrainz (list of releases)