“…startling in its musical precision and complexity, while their musical sensitivity epitomizes the beauty of the jazz duo”
Everything I Love is unashamedly a so-called “cover album” on which the duo have assembled songs by largely well-known Latin American, African and American songwriters that have been of some influence to their musical growth. It is often comparisons are drawn and would be easy to label Natascha and James as the Tuck and Patti of South Africa, so we won’t.
They have developed a voice that is distinctly unique in the musical annuls of South Africa without the assistance and trimmings of a fickle music industry. It is an album of beauty that one will be able to enjoy and listen to for years to come and on each listen will find something new to reaffirm the adding to ones collection of this album. It is a simple album stripped to the basics with no fancy studio tricks added to spoil the beauty of Everything I Love. Each track is a gem and will remain in the memory long after the song has ended something akin to the flavour of a special red wine lingers on the palette.
It is difficult to single out any of the tracks featured as each has its own way of creeping into and offering aural pleasure from each fresh interpretation, but I will concede that there a four songs that have become my favourites, Yise Wabant’a Bami written by Busi Mhlongo, Madelena written by Ivan Lins and Vinicius de Moraes, Malaika by Mdawida and Maitland, finally the title track Everything I Love by Cole Porter.
Reviewed by Eric Alan on 2008-12-24
Yise Wabant’ A Bami
The Very Thought Of You (R. Noble)
Este Seu Olhar (A.C.Jobim)
Madalena (I.Lins/R.Monteiro)
Ntyilo Ntyilo (A. Silanga)
Desafinado (A.C.Jobim)
Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar (A.C.Jobim/V.DeMoraes)
Malaika (Mdawida/Maitland)
Coisa Mais Linda (C.Lyra/V.De Moraes)
East Of The Sun (B.Bowman)
Everything I Love (C.Porter)
We’ ll Be Together Again (F.Laine/C.Fischer)