Karlien Van Jaarsveld
My Hartjie (Coleske Artists)
Breakdown: She took some time off after giving birth to her beautiful twins, but after some time in the studio, Karlien Van Jaarsveld fourth studio album ‘My Hartjie’. The album is mixed with some brilliant Afrikaans pop music and some covers of classic pop songs. Karlien has already gone gold with this album – a wonderful achievement for any South African artist.
How Many Good Tracks: 10 of the 15.
What I Liked: Karlien takes a considerable amount of time to plan an album. It’s clear that she understands the market and what they are looking for in terms of music – both as singles on the record. For example, while I’m not a fan of covers, the Afrikaans community loves them. So what does Karlien do? She puts four covers on the record. Four covers with 11 original tracks. It’s the perfect recipe. I really enjoyed the production on the record as well. Karlien’s voice is brilliant and there are songs where she really showcases her talent, something that is as important to me than delivering the hits. I have a feeling this record will be scooping up tons of awards later this year and early next year.
What I Didn’t Like: For me, lead single ‘My Hartjie’ is very weak. Sure, it’s doing well but I think that’s just because of the star power that comes with a Karlien Van Jaarsveld single. I also feel that song of the tracks lack a bit from a songwriting point of view. That being said, however, looking at other pop records around, it’s not that bad. A solid album. Oh, and why Coleske don’t add their artists to iTunes, I have no idea. So much money they are losing out on. So silly.
Best Track: Breek
Rating: 3.5/5
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