Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Labella: Child of the Soil

360

Labella: Child of the Soil

By

Sign in to view read count
Labella: Child of the Soil
Labella is an artist in transition. Her debut album, Still Lonely, showed a singer with strong R&B and dance influences. However, for Child of the Soil, she has teamed up with guitarist/composer/producer Selaelo Selota—the album is for his label, C-Lota Records—in a move towards forging a more old-school Afropop/Safro jazz sound.

Selaelo's influence is constantly felt on this album—he composed and/or arranged nearly all of the tracks and plays guitar on some of the tunes. The trademarks of a Selaelo album are a smooth, old-school Afropop/Safro jazz sound, with a tight band comprised of some top-notch musicians. Selaelo is a master of subtlety and restraint; even when the band lets loose, it's still always controlled. This influence is particularly notable on "Dancing in the Rain, "Thamsanqa, and "Inkosi Yamakhosi. On these tracks, it appears the Selaelo is grooming Labella to be the next Judith Sephuma or Sibongile Khumalo.

However, on other tracks, Labella's roots assert themselves more strongly—"36 Weeks, "Apple of My Eye, and "My Dream are more reminiscent of her earlier album with their strong R&B leanings, while the vocal-acoustic guitar duet of "Africa sounds more like an india.arie album.

At times, these two styles seem to be in conflict with one another, and that is true to an extent. The album partially splits into the R&B category (the earlier part of the album), to the more Safro jazz sound (middle of the album).

However, where the album gets particularly interesting is when the two worlds sync up. "Onomathotholo, an otherwise traditional Xhosa song, gets a sonic update. Labella adds some vocal percussion noises, and the band stretches away from the groove that it had been laying down through much of the album. Labella also stretches her voice away from the warm, slightly smoky midrange she favors—adding growling and higher pitched cries a la Busi Mhlongo. The synth solo in the middle is unwelcome, but it's nevertheless nice to hear this sort of risk-taking in the music. In "Pitoria ka paesekele, Labella and band stretch even farther away from the norm, this time adding skittish wah-wah guitar and a fat, funky clavinet. The vocal chorus also features some impressive vocal acrobatics.

Ultimately these tracks are the most interesting. Here, there is a sense of risk-taking and an adventurous spirit that makes the album so notable. While the tracks leading up to these tunes are enjoyable R&B and/or Afropop pieces—and Labella's voice truly is a thing of beauty—the magic happens when the musicians stretch out of the well-trodden groove and into some truly new and interesting territory.

Note: this recording is available from One World on the web.

Track Listing

Africa Intro; Apple of My Eye; Dancing in the Rain; Hle!; Thamsanqa; Inkosi Yamakhosi; 36 Weeks; Sekumanxa; My Dream; Onomathotholo; Pitoria ka Paesekele; Africa.

Personnel

Labella: vocals; Selaelo Selota: guitars; Randall Skippers: piano, organ, keyboards; Rob Watson: drums; Mike Tuli Masoka: bass; Paledi Malatji: vocals; Steven Molakeng: vocals; Edith Mudau: vocals; Bongi Zwane: vocals.

Album information

Title: Child of the Soil | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: C-Lota Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.