Press Article

2003 Oct 17   "Concord above clouds"
Publication: This Day
Byline: Sandile Dikeni

Collaborators: Louis Mhlanga; Philile Nkabinde; Prince Lengoasa; Xoli Nkosi; Rob Watson; Janine Price; Stanley Sello; Barry van Zyl; Godfrey Mgcina; Leaveil Eaton; Ernie Smith; Peter Auret; Neil Gonsalves; Eero Koivistoinen; Lili Feng; Efrain Toro; Seppo Kantonen; Gito Baloi; Neal Snyman.


They may have grounded the French Concorde for aviation reasons, but there is nothing wrong with the wings of our own Concord Nkabinde. The man is in full flight.
In his modesty Concord decided to push his musical self-portrait to the background in cut two of his debut album.
It is called U make me fly and he lets rip immediately with a crazy tight bass riff that tells you exactly where Nkabinde comes from and where he is going to: high.
Some sweet birds announce lyrically, along with the bass, in backing vocals on the second track, “taking me higher/taking me high”.
They are followed by Nkabinde in some sotto mood announcing the bass riff, “I’ve got your love under my wings/it brings the sky down to my feet”.
His first album is a beautiful blend of bass, vocals and lyrics and is the culmination of a lifelong project.
When I first met Concord I was surprised the bass player had not produced an album. We were doing a soundscape for a docudrama called Laugh My Rainbow, and the other collaborators were McCoy Mrubata and Moses Khumalo.
I was the bard in the outfit and recall Concord complaining(he seldom complains) that the South African music scene lacked lyric writers.
Well, pragmatist that he is, it seems Concord has now decided to deal with that problem. The lyrics are something one can take home and listen to.
The bass player has a voice that few in his genre possess. In his confidence on vocals, he even opts for a duet with the Chinese songbird Lili Feng on Sitting on top of the world.
The Zulu-Chinese mix was a first for me, but it works well. But then Concord’s love for collaboration is not a new thing. On the album sleeve he thanks a long list of musos.
A quick overview shows Concord has played with virtually all the best in the country. And the experience shows.
His compositions are tight and disciplined – sometimes too controlled- but he also makes way for some fun in the mix. In an amazing love for collaboration he brings Philile Nkabinde, his two-year-old niece, to help with Calypsoweto. This song rocks and I predict it will rapidly move up the charts. It has a Caribbean feel that highlights a South African urban vibe carried to universal height by its club groove.
The rest of the album is a testimony to Concord’s complex simplicity.
The collection left me with the feeling that a new movement in serious stylistics has just begun.
I look forward to the second album.