Don't you forget it, don't sweat it

South African singer Loyiso surprised absolutely no one by picking up a SAMA (South African Music Award) this past weekend for last year's Blow Your Mind album (if you're curious, Best English Pop Album went to Tasha Baxter, who beat out Wafeeq, Jacques, Caelee "Nikki Webster [and Guy Sebastian and John Sutherland and probably more] covers," and a seemingly kids-oriented group called Atom I've never heard of--not a surprise, at least for me, either)--two if you count the one the album's producer won. The lead single, "I Want You" (the video for which was recently finally added to YouTube), a breezy R&B song that sounds made for summer, was a bit hit last year, and as a followup he went with a song that features none other than that aforementioned Best English Pop Album winner as well as winner of Best Newcomer--yup, Tasha Baxter, who's had several radio hits of her own, which might have something to do with why the song was chosen as as single. Then again, Loyiso's more of an established artist than Tasha is, being several albums into his career, so it could just be because it's a good song.

Blow Your Mind (feat. Tasha Baxter)--I know this is Loyiso's song and I've written about Tasha--and my reservations about her--before, but I think it's worth getting some of my concerns out in the open but in brief first: it's interesting to have someone on the South African pop music scene like her; no one else there--to my knowledge, and at least on a big successful scale--is doing electronic pop music like she is, and so I am glad to have her around. On the other hand...well, for some reason I've never been able to fully love her as an artist (though I think she's got at least a couple of good to great songs and if she keeps going and developing she's got the potential to really be great and worthy of attention outside her home country--maybe I'm just holding out because I've got high hopes?). I'm not sure if her guest appearance here is going to help me sort through that particular issue, but at least in this case I think I know why I don't necessarily love everything about her performance: there's something about the way she sings that just irks me a little bit--her tone feels kind of like...put-on petulance or pouting at times.

That's just one small complaint, though, because in general, I think Loyiso and Tasha's collaboration is a good thing: Loyiso brings his R&B-pop and Tasha brings her electronic pop, and they mesh really well into this playful but laid-back song with Tasha's synths and Loyiso's horns and melody and...well, I don't know who's guitar part; probably Loyiso's (I say this in terms of who they "spiritually" belong to, not who actually contributed them). For all Loyiso's boasting in the song, though, and its catchiness, it's not really that in-your-face, which kind of makes it even more charming--more coolly flirtatious than aggressive, even if still just as lusty.

To buy Loyiso's album Blow Your Mind, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe something Belgian.

I just don't want you back, it's the god honest truth, as a matter of fact

I'm not sure why I still remain so skeptical about Tasha Baxter--and if I'm so unsure about her work, why am I posting about her again? Maybe because I do like her but just don't want to admit it because it'll mean yet another expensive import album. Maybe because I'm hoping writing about her songs will help me tease out what I'm really thinking. Who knows? Anyhow, brief recap: South African singer who's had several radio hits so far from her debut album, Colour of Me, released earlier this year

Fade To Black--this song finds Tasha channeling pop with dance influences in a way that's a little...hmm, maybe a bit Sophie Ellis-Bextor? Not as fab, though, or as complex or with as much fullness, just missing...something. Is that what bothers me? That it feels derivative in a not-as-good way? But that's not really in keeping with with my usual taste--I've quite often liked things that are "derivative"--if that's what this is...and it might not be. I think I really like this, but I could end up going either way on it--love or wonder what I ever saw in it.

To buy Tasha Baxter's debut album Colour Of Me, go here (physical) or here (digital). You can listen to two other solid tracks, "Useless" and "Who's Sorry Now," at her MySpace.

(Reading that back, it sound a lot more negative than it's meant to, so let me make it clear that I do really like this song! And I expect if--no, let's make that "when," because that's surely more accurate considering my past patterns--when I buy the album, I'll love it.)

Next up: a song doing well on American charts. But not that American group I keep meaning to write about--unless I change my mind and do end up writing about them. Or something about Belanova's new album.

You're not going anywhere that I'm not

I've been deliberately avoiding Tasha Baxter for months now, though whether that's because I've not yet been sold on the whole project or because I don't want to get sucked into paying far too expensive import prices for another South African album, I'm not sure. I'll probably end up buying the album in a couple of months and then championing it--that seems to by my usual pattern in these cases. Anyhow, Tasha is from South Africa, was featured on and helped co-write Roger Goode's song "In The Beginning," and her MySpace describes her style as "Powerpop/Drum & Bass/Emotronic" which perhaps get across that her music does sound a bit strange and not entirely mainstream--not that it couldn't be mainstream, but you get the feeling she and collaborator Andre Scheepers were deliberately trying to create music that doesn't sound mainstream--but I don't think fully captures her; though it's a more generic description, I'd probably leave it at electro-pop, sometimes with bits of rock, sometimes maybe even hints of lounge, often with a hint of indie. Speaking of her MySpace, if you have a few minutes, use it to listen to "Who's Sorry Now," the lead single for her album Colour Of Me--it's possibly the best song I've heard from her yet (though I've admittedly only heard a few songs off her thirteen track album). The softer ballad "Useless," which you can also listen to there, is lovely and worth a listen as well; it may even be better than "Who's Sorry Now."

Freefall--perhaps one of her poppy songs, though I mean that mainly in that it's less influenced by rock or chill-out than some of the other things she's done. It's full of electro beeps and blips. I often can't shake the feeling with Tasha that there are some good ideas behind what she does and that she's good in theory but that--at least to fully win me over--she needs to have stronger melodies and stronger hooks. Still, here the almost cute "oh, oh no, oh-oh-oh no"'s manage to deliver that hook I'm looking for. The intro's pretty promising and that final fade out is quite pretty as well (it appears early in the song at the end of each chorus, too), but I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced by the part of the chorus with actual words. For all the reservations I've expressed, though, I do really like the song--I just wish that "too fast, too soon" part was better. I think the audio quality may be subpar--if it is, I'm sorry about that.

To buy Tasha Baxter's album Colour Of Me, go here (physical).

Next up: maybe that German singer, finally.