Mango Groove has been one of the most inspiring acts to have ever graced the South African music industry. They were one of the first major South African acts to include both black and white members during the final years of Apartheid and their fight for equality through music has been really inspiring. They’re the band behind hits such as ‘Special Star’, ‘Moments Away’ and ‘Hellfire’ and after dropping their previous album ‘Bang The Drum’ back in 2009, Mango Groove have joined forces with Warner Music South Africa to release their comeback album ‘Faces To The Sun’ digitally on the 28th of October and in stores on the 4th of November.
The 2-disc album comprises 24 songs and includes 9 brand new, original Mango Groove tracks. The album also features 15 powerful and touching renditions of classic South African songs, with collaborations with some of SA’s finest artists.
The lead single from the project ‘From The Get Go’, celebrates Mango Groove’s skillful penmanship and reminds us exactly why we fell in love with the group many years ago. “This really was a project of the heart for us,” Claire Johnston says. “Over four years in the making, this is a host of new songs we are really proud of, and at the same time a chance to celebrate our favourite SA songs from the last few decades.” The star adds that “In many ways, for Mango Groove the Faces to the Sun project was about much more than music, as it was about celebrating being South African in all its many forms. In essence, the two CDs are really just different sides of the same coin. If ‘Memories and Moments’ (the first CD) celebrates where we have come from, and the great SA tracks that have touched us through the decades, then ‘’Here, Now and Forever’’ (the second CD) is very much about Mango Groove today, and where we are going in the future.”
The collaborations are truly special with legendary and new artists alike, adding their voices to unforgettable songs like Mmalo We, Malaika, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Kinders Van Die Wind and Another Country, to mention but a few. Featured artists include Rebecca Malope, Vusi Mahlasela, Juanita du Plessis, Zolani Mahola from Freshly Ground, Kurt Darren, Romanz, Mo T from Mi Casa, and “Big Voice Jack” Lerole (his last ever recordings), among others.
“The choice of collaborators was a very personal process for us, and we feel hugely honoured and privileged that so many great SA artists chose to celebrate this project with us,” the group’s John Leyden says. “We chose iconic SA artists that have been part of our own musical journey and whose amazing voices suited our interpretations of the songs, but at the same time, we also worked with a couple of new and exciting contemporary artists that brought their own magic to the tracks.”
The act is another exciting signing for Warner Music South Africa whose local signings include Locnville, ASH, Dr. Bone, Josh Kempen and ZakEmo. “Mango Groove is quite simply South African music royalty. We are very excited to help write the next chapter in their incredible story,” Tracy Fraser, MD of Warner Music South Africa says.
I am so excited about this new chapter in the Mango Groove story. They’re a band that has really made an impact on my life and I’m excited to see what they have in store.
Faces To The Sun Tracklist:
CD1: Memories and Moments
1. Durban Road
2. Another Country (featuring Zolani Mahola)
3. Kinders van die Wind (featuring Juanita du Plessis)
4. Mmalo We (featuring Rebecca Malope)
5. Under African Skies (featuring Kurt Darren and ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)
6. Emlanjeni (featuring NJ Kunene)
7. Great Heart
8. Remember Me (featuring Andrew Baird)
9. Meva (featuring ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)
10. Malaika (featuring Vusi Mahlasela)
11. Weeping
12. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (featuring Romanz)
13. Meadowlands
14. Vulindlela
15. Master Jack
CD2: Here, Now and Forever
1. From the Get Go
2. Faces to the Sun
3. Kind
4. Chobolo (featuring ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)
5. In Our Own Paradise
6. Sweet Surprise
7. Colour
8. Durban Road Summer Remix (featuring Bra Banza Kgasoane and Mo T)
9. The Road (featuring Tapiwa Mugadza)
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