Beatenberg
The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg (Universal Music)
Breakdown: Many successful local musicians have not achieved as much as newbies Beatenberg. Their debut single Chelsea Blakemore was a moderate introduction but their collaboration with local house producer DJ Clock Pluto (Remember You) became an instant smash and has become the biggest South African song of 2014. Now, they’ve finally released their debut album – The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg.
How Many Good Tracks: 10 of the 13.
What I Liked: The album is a celebration of South African music! There hasn’t been an album out in so long that has such a perfect mix of South African sounds and flavours. The boys are something fresh and unique and I’m proud of them for that. I must also commend their awesome vocals on the record. As you can tell by the first three singles, this is an album for everyone and I can promise you that not many people will hate this album.
What I Didn’t Like: I wonder if this album is who Beatenberg is. After ‘Pluto’ became such a huge hit, I think the boys found a sound that works for them and ran with it, which is a clever thing to do. I do sometimes get the feeling that they’ve added different traditional African sounds to their music because that’s what their fans expect – which is a must but at times it doesn’t feel believable.
Best Track: ‘Pluto (Remember You) and Rafael are clear highlights.
Rating: 4/5
Feel free to comment, share or tweet @ElBroide
[…] Johnny did with Beatenberg’s hit single ‘Rafael’ off their debut album ‘The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg‘. Johnny changed the track up completely which shows such […]