A perfect blueprint of all that you require?

If I was South African, I might have more reservations about featuring the singer of today's song. Danny K may have had some major hits in his home country, but well, let's just say he doesn't always fit the persona he's created for himself.

03 Made 2 Love You by poppostergirl

Danny fancies himself an R&B singer, or at least an urban pop singer; his first album was Craig David-like (in style, not necessarily quality) and he generally continued on an unsurprising trajectory through his third solo album in 2006, which in addition to including the requisite ballads tried to position him as a club king as well. He did have a brief, interesting musical diversion in 2005 when he collaborated with kwaito star Mandoza on the great album Same Difference, a fresh mixing of their two styles which I always pull out when summer rolls around.

Like the residents of many countries, South African acts often struggle to compete against imports from the U.S. and the UK. Creating music in the style of those acts often seems to be the best shot at radio play and connecting to young record buyers, but without the budget and resources of those countries' music industries, living up to the quality can be difficult. There are, obviously, acts who pursue entirely different strategies and have quite a lot of success with them--Freshlyground is one of the go-to examples for an "authentic South African sound" that is still pretty pop, while other acts go with an even more folk or other niche-based strategy (amongst many possibilities)--but I always find it interesting to see what the output of acts with a sound similar to those of American and British successes will be like.

Danny K often gets assistance from abroad, and his new album is no exception: he's returned to producer Pete "Boxsta" Martin, who's based in the UK but originally from South Africa. Martin has also worked with some acts you might know: Margaret Berger, Dannii Minogue, Tarkan, Matt Pokora, Christophe Willem, and Monrose, amongst others. The good news is that the two of them seem to be evolving Danny's sound. It's less "here I am acting gangsta in the club," more darker and electronic (though we're still nowhere near indie cred here). The former may have included a handful of good songs, but it never felt like a natural fit for Danny. This new album, Across The Line, feels like the album you make when you want to say that some big personal problem inspired it (sadly, he had to make that kind of album already, back when he was working on his second offering), with said personal trauma presumably being his separation from his wife: musically darker, more lyrics about dealing with the problems of fame (no, wait, don't run away yet!), et cetera, et cetera. Whether that reasoning is genuine, though, doesn't matter as much as the music.

"Made 2 Love U," lined up to be the second single, is fantastic, albeit subtly so. Danny cites Duran Duran as a reference and, though I don't know of an exact equivalent from their back catalogue, I actually wish they'd record something like this. I know mentioning Duran Duran and the following song is going to raise expectations to unreasonable levels and set everyone up to be let down, but in my mind "Made To Love You" as recorded by Duran Duran would be a bit like Pet Shop Boys' "Minimal": lush mid-tempo electronica pop that, though restrained, somehow manages to reach you, get itself stuck inside your head, and carry maybe more emotional resonance than it should.

As soon as I heard "Made 2 Love U," I expected it to be the keeper of the album, the song that made the era worthwhile. Count me as pleasantly surprised, then, to say there are at least two more good songs on Across The Line. "The Borrower" may be the first Danny K ballad I've really liked in years, and I don't think I could tell you why it works so much better for me than previous offerings. The melody, maybe? Yeah, lame explanation.

07 Follow Me by poppostergirl

As if to maintain the cosmic balance of the universe, after a mid-tempo and a ballad, the other song that initially caught my attention was the up-tempo "Follow Me." It continues Danny's move away from the urban side of pop and towards that more electronica pop (I'm reluctant to say electro-pop) sound. It's insistent but not in the way that Darin's "Breathing Your Love Is," nor does it sport as much of a rock influence as some other tracks on the album do. The key here is the "everywhere I go it follows me, follows me" hook that makes up the second half of the chorus and some good modern production. Plus, the middle eight adds some strings to the mix--heaven knows I can't resist some strings in a dance-influenced song, and they're used well, if stereotypically, here to up the sense of pop drama.

"Shades," a great electronic track with prominent female vocals, a quick paced backing track but a smoother, slower chorus, and an avoiding-the-paparazzi theme; "Barricade," a sort of "ballad with a pulse" with rock aspirations; and "Projecta," a harder electronic track which is less edgy than it thinks it is but is still pretty good, are all respectable efforts from Danny K as well. The lead single, "I Get Up Again," finds Danny in raspier voice than usual and isn't quite as strong as I'd like from an album campaign opener, but it's still better than I originally gave it credit for being.

That last sentence actually captures Danny K the music artist for me: he's never quite firing on one hundred percent with his albums, but, given that I tend to view him more with a detached but deep interest than as an artist I'm totally invested in--more with the perspective of a scientist than as the music fan I am--he's become better than I always think he's going to be. Across The Line is no must-own, but several, perhaps half of its tracks are worth adding into the international pop music conversation. My apologies, Danny: no more thinking of you as a some sort of research project, some specimen under observation; you're a singer, and that's how you deserve to be seen.

Across The Line has been out for several weeks, but for some reason isn't available on the sites I usually buy South African music from. It might show up at this link eventually, though.

Something's gotta change

I'm not posting today's song because of quality, but more because I just need to finally get a chance to express my thoughts about it.

You Don't Know My Name

R&B/pop singer Danny K is a big star in South Africa, though admittedly one often criticized in certain quarters, one of the (less pure insult-oriented) reasons being that (according to some) though his albums are good for South African-created work (there's a lot of "is it international quality?"-type of talk in South African music reviews in general), he tends to mainly bandwagon jump onto whatever "international" stars are doing. I don't feel knowledgeable enough to speak to how accurate a criticism that is in regards to his three solo albums (though I will venture that I'd be more concerned about his image of recent times if I was trying to break him internationally--not that I've heard anything to think that's on the cards again--because it can be off sometimes), but I would say there was at least one moment in time where he was part of a decidedly original--and fantastic--project: his and kwaito singer Mandoza's collaborative Same Difference album.

That's jumping ahead, though: Danny K's second single is what we're talking about today. Released around 2001, "You Don't Know My Name" got Danny his second number one (after "Hurts So Bad") and, if you buy into that following international trends argument, you could probably link it back to Craig David's success that year and the year before, though it's not too difficult to imagine a boy band not afraid of mid-to-up-tempo tracks adapting it to their style.

The thing that's always bugged me about the song, though, is that opening. Not that it's bad--far from it, in fact: it's by far my favorite part of the song, a spacey light slightly electro opening that lasts less than ten seconds before turning into a much more traditional R&B-pop song (albeit with a quick reversion to that style for its middle section). I've got kind of an obsession with those opening few seconds, actually--could someone make a whole song that uses that actually goes off of that style instead of ditching it entirely? That said, the song we get instead is good--just not as exciting as it could have been.

I really probably should do some more writing about Danny K in the future, partly because he's done some songs I think are good and partly because there are some interesting things to say about him or his music; for now, though, I'll just say that you can buy his self-titled debut album here (physical). His third album This Is My Time is also available digitally (as DRM-free mp3s) here.

Oh, while we're speaking of Danny K, he's got yet another case of "I really like this bit of a song--can we take it out and turn it into its own song?" going on at the moment--he provides the hook on this classical music-meets-R&B track called "Crazy Party" that's supposed to be an "ooo, look at how young she is! And she can play the violin!" showcase for twelve year old In-Cha; I love me some strings in music, but not usually when they're used in this sense (it tends to seem a little too...indulgent for my more pop and vocal-oriented tastes), so the song is really all about the chorus for me--but I love that chorus for some reason.

Next up: maybe a remix of a song by an artist I wouldn't usually be likely to feature here.

Work? No way

I am still in a very summery mood and, with the weather now cooperating, I've got two albums currently competing for the title of my "summer album"--not necessarily the summer's best album, but the one that just feels like summer, that's perfect for having on while you're doing whatever. The latest release by the Tough Alliance is putting up a good fight and may win out in the long run (more about them in the future; in the meantime, check out thoughts about the lead single on Worrapolava or #1 Hits From Another Planet--in general, blippy catchy pop from Sweden that is very impressive), but for the moment, Same Difference is holding onto the title.

It frustrates me that if I walk into a music store around here and head over to the international section, the only music I'd find from most countries is "traditional" or "folk" music, and that's especially true for South Africa. I'm certainly not condemning that sort of music--everyone has their own taste--but that's such a poor reflection of the actual music scenes of these countries. Without a greater range of music being portrayed, people are missing out on a lot and a certain image of countries is definitely being portrayed. Given American radio's lack of friendliness towards non-English language tracks, Same Difference would probably never have stood a chance at mainstream radio success, but if there was justice in the world, some of these songs should have been international hits.

I am definitely not an expert on South African music, so please correct me if any of this is wrong. Mandoza is one of South Africa's leading kwaito stars (kwaito is a type of music that I instinctively want to say is the South African version of hip-hop or rap, but that's not right, as there is rap there; picture rap with dance or house beats and strong percussion, and you're a little closer) while Danny K is--well, I guess you could say he's an R&B singer, though he can be more pop or more hip hop influenced (though he's not a rapper) depending on the song. Both are well-established artists in the own right, but 2004 found them teaming up to release Same Difference, an album I'm fulling prepared for no one else to enjoy but that I'm loving. Though I still maintain that it has songs that should have been hits outside of South Africa (or outside of Africa--I'm not sure how it did in other African countries), for the pop fan, your enjoyment of the album overall will probably be affected by your opinion of Mandoza's singing (or speaking). It's gruff, rap-like, and not in English. For my own preferences, I'd probably cut down on some of his more extended parts, but he's vitally important to this album--he provides a nice crunch here and, without the sort of music he brings to the table, many of these songs wouldn't really stick for me.

I was fully expecting myself to fall for one of the albums dance hall tracks, but the songs I've found myself returning to most are the more laid-back ones. They are such perfect summer songs--"breezy" is just about the perfect word for them, but they're not free-floating, instead being brought back down to Earth by the beats Mandoza brings. There are so many great songs on Same Difference--if I had a section listing my music idols, this album would've elevated Danny K and Mandoza, working as a team, into that list.

I know some people will say this is R&B (or whatever genre of music you want to call it) for people who don't listen to or don't like R&B, but, though with my background I can't address that, 1.) there's nothing wrong with appealing to new audiences, and 2.) I don't care. I don't care if this doesn't have hardcore kwaito or is a shameless attempt at crossover market success--it works, bringing the best of both singers' worlds together and creating something that I'm probably far more likely to enjoy than either of their solo works.

The song I'm posting was chosen partly because it's one of my favorite songs on the album, but also because the back-and-forth between Danny K and Mandoza, who's basically doing quick answer-backs for most of the song, might be more likely to appeal to people who don't want to hear extended stretches of rapping (there is a rap break, but it's got Danny K's interjections in it). The song is so breezy and so summery, though, and not just in the title--it makes me want to hop in a car and drive to the beach with this song--really, the whole album--soundtracking my drive.

Summertime

You can buy Mandoza and Danny K's album Same Difference here (they can take a long time to ship the item, but once it's shipped it doesn't take long to arrive and the shipping is the cheapest I've found for South African music). Amazon.co.uk sells it as well. Though it is not an album for everyone (it does feel very mainstream, which is a good thing, but it's distinctive), I very much recommend it--it is just about the perfect summer album. If you want to hear more from it before buying, this site has minute long clips of each of the songs. Plus, I love their logo:



I'm not sure why I love it so much, but I do.

Next up: probably Måns.

If you say it loud enough, the party gets ferocious

I was going to write about Mandoza and Danny K's collaboration album today (probably), but I was distracted by something I heard on Danny K's second solo album. In real life, I'm one of those people who can't read a trivia book without asking whoever's near me "Did you know...?" every minute. Consider this post the blog equivalent of that.

My laugh-out-loud moment of yesterday: hearing the chorus of Danny K's "Soopadoopa" which--surely deliberately--mimics (I don't think "samples" or "remixes" is the right word, since it's not actually using the original music) "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins in the service of an urban-influenced track. That music and the lyrics--oh wow. If I'd been on a chair, I would have fallen off laughing.

That said, a minute and a half into another song, I skipped back to "Soopadoopa"--I had to hear it again. Make of that what you will.

The more I think about it, the more I conclude that this maybe the most ridiculous idea ever executed in pop music...and yet, though I'm not (yet) ready to give it my "ridiculous but brilliant label," I think I'm infatuated. Everyone else in the world would probably think it's the worst idea ever, but seriously, the guy just turned "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" into a song about "dope" DJ's--how can you not love that?

In fact, for now, this is temporarily (very much so) my "greatest. thing. ever." I start to shake with repressed laughter ever time it comes on, but I love it.

On a more serious note, I'm pleased to say that J23 seems to be a big improvement over Danny K, although to be fair I haven't given his first album its due time-wise; I'll have to try revisiting it--but J23 has more songs with instant or close to it appeal for me.

While I'm being random, things I've been meaning to mention forever:

Bosson's next album is coming out June 11. "You" remains top-quality and "What If I" and "I Can Feel Love" were pretty good, too, so I'm glad we're finally getting an album.

D'NASH's second single, "Dondé estás," is a cover of a song previously sung by Swedish singer Pontus Assarsson, then called "In A Different Story," which explains why I've sometimes seen that name in parentheses after D'NASH's title for it. While we're on the topic of former Fame Factory contestants and covers, I've also got a version of "Cannonball" (sung by NKD) performed by Emma Karlsson, who--I think--released it as a single, though I'm not sure who recorded it first; given she's actually Swedish and that I think she's the same person as Emma Varga, I'd guess Emma did, but her MySpace makes it sound like it was released to radio this February...she could have recorded it earlier, though. She's also recorded "Shooting Star." Her versions are more rocked-up.

I'm really liking a lot of the songs posted over at Popsound, like the new single and b-side by Dutch singer Jim, whose song "Tell Her" Into The Groove introduced me to.

Next up: probably Mandoza and Danny K.

(Note: you may be asking "So then wasn't Jibbs's 'Chain Hang Low' a work of genius? Shouldn't you like that, too?" No--that left out any catchiness in the verses. It was pretty much rap. This song is more R&B or "urban" pop and keeps the hook going throughout. And there's a greater sense of fun around this one, while still maintaining the posing needed to sell the song.)

I can't control it, I can't refuse it

You all are going to think I'm crazy, but...



I love this.

I was getting ready to complain about Danny K winning best English pop album at the South African Music Awards this weekend, as his third album, This Is My Time, is 1.) clearly not a pop album--definitely R&B, 2.) doesn't even sound that good, from the clips I've heard (and Boris did the whole "let's rework that Terri Walker song" thing last year, too, and better) when I got distracted...first, I may even end up buying his debut album, as "You Don't Know My Name" sounds like it might be OK, but more importantly, his 2004 collaboration album with kwaito star Mandoza, Same Difference, sounds brilliant. You can listen to clips from it here, but you'll probably want to open that link in a new window.

I just bought it; it'll take some weeks to get here, but you'll definitely see Mandoza and Danny K cropping up here again. I think I may have found my summer album.

(Why is it I think of Ben Stiller when I see Danny K in that video? Whatever, the song is still great.)