{"id":100492,"date":"2015-09-23T11:59:05","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T09:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/100492\/52072\/"},"modified":"2015-09-23T14:06:39","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T12:06:39","slug":"52072","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/lifestyle-news\/2015\/09\/23\/52072\/","title":{"rendered":"Zonke’s work of heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This breathtaking work is one of those classic albums that rewards repeat listens, gradually revealing new layers and nuances as you delve deeper into it.<\/p>

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The title reflects that the music, lyrics and emotions expressed come from a place of sincere honesty. On Work of Heart<\/em><\/strong>, Zonke is revealing her most personal truth exactly as she feels it.<\/p>\n

For all that, the album is a massively entertaining, musically coherent work in diverse styles, displaying varied influences and dripping with hit singles.<\/p>

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\u201cThis is coming straight from my heart,\u201d she says. \u201cMy previous album was consciously South African. Here I\u2019m just expressing myself and things must just come out the way I feel them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have many influences \u2013\u00a0local and international. I wanted to be more honest about my songs and my craft. I allowed myself to just be. The songs came out the way they came out. There were no preconceived ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zonke is the only female artist on the South African scene writing, producing and performing her own work. On Work Of Heart she has produced a magically eclectic album that will have timeless appeal.<\/p>\n

\"Zonke<\/a><\/p>\n

Intro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A strings-laden vocal workout by Zonke to ease listeners into the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tell me birds of a feather always fly together. But no, not me. I\u2019m a lonesome dove.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe lyrics are musical as well as personal,\u201d says Zonke. \u201cI\u2019m always flying in the opposite direct to the trends. \u201cBut I know there\u2019s someone looking out for me. I\u2019m not so alone. There are also a lot of strings on this one. It makes you think it\u2019s gonna be a very strings-heavy album, but it\u2019s not that at all. Just because you use strings and orchestral elements doesn\u2019t mean they should dominate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dear Child<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A piano intro builds into a heartfelt ballad with another of Zonke\u2019s trademark killer vocal hooks!<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I choose to hear you if I choose to embrace you, maybe I can be as your are, dear child.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFor this song I had inspiration from my kids. Wow. It hurts to see them hurting. But they\u2019re so loving. Seeing them smile and laugh is just so powerful. If we could be more childlike, the world would be such a great place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Great Storm<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A massive, anthemic song with an insistent Afro-jazzy keyboard riff and a processed guitar skank. The makings an instant classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey I\u2019m sorry for breaking your heart. I see you looking around \u2013 you don\u2019t know where to start and that breaks mine too. Please forgive me, don\u2019t know any better. I know today I can learn to open my heart and love you too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSome people think this is a break-up song, and its great if that\u2019s what they take from it. Part of the beauty of art is that it\u2019s open to interpretation. Actually the song comes from what was happening in South Africa during the most recent xenophobic attacks. It was heartbreaking for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

SOS (Release me) <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 <\/strong>A haunting tune with throbbing keyboards and strings, that speaks of a soul\u2019s desperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life will never be the same. I keep trying until I find my way home. So release me now. You\u2019ll never have my heart so just release me now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I recorded this when hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls had been kidnapped. I couldn\u2019t get that out of my mind. My daughter is 13, so I felt it deeply. The song says the spirit goes where it needs to go. You will never kill the spirit. When I write, I hear the whole song fully formed \u2013\u00a0melody, lyrics, instrumentation. Then the challenge is to get the production to match what I hear in my head!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meet me in my dreams <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A catchy, mid-tempo pop song that ironically comes from a painful place. It\u2019s about the loss of Zonke\u2019s sister, fellow artist Lulu Dikana.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to sleep now, don\u2019t you worry. Cos I will love you till my days are no more. But you gotta promise me\u2026 you will meet me in my dreams.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote this song for Lulu. But I wanted it to express a more universal kind of pain. I didn\u2019t want to say \u2018RIP Lulu\u2019. I wanted people to get their own meaning from it. In the same way my song Viva The Legend<\/em> \u2013 about my dad, Viva \u2013 is often thought to be about Madiba, Mr Mandela.<\/p>\n

Free State Of Mind <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A stripped-down, electronic groove built on a driving beat and Zonke\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cClear blue skies, no more rainy days, nothing but light ahead. I\u2019m in the mood for a new free state of mind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy aim for this album was to have a minimalistic feel. I really wanted to hold back on the instrumentation. It tried not to harmonise too much. I sometimes think it borders on cheesy. When you\u2019ve got access to a whole studio, the temptation is to overdo it. But this has an international sound. I wanted it to be accessible to everyone, not just South Africans. There are isiXhosa lyrics on Work Of Heart<\/em><\/strong>, but less than on previous albums.<\/p>\n

Reach it<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 <\/strong>An irresistible call-and-response chorus rides over a keyboard groove, a tambourine and little else. The first single off the album<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I gonna say, staring at your face? Will you be kind to me? One day I\u2019ll reach it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about reaching for a dream or realising your potential. I always personify things. Success has a gatekeeper, and in this song I\u2019m talking to the gatekeeper, saying, \u201cWill you let me in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Grateful (Interlude)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 Practically a cappella, this is a personal thank-you from the singer to her fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the music, grateful for the people who love and care for me. I love and care for you, I appreciate you more.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is to the fans. God and the fans. And the people who have been in my life, passed through and left their mark on me. It\u2019s easy to just assume people know you\u2019re grateful. It\u2019s important to tell them I\u2019m grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is it<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A vinyl crackle introduces a familiar guitar lick. And then comes a vocal hook that won\u2019t quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanna know who\u2019s loving you now. I wanna know who\u2019s hugging my baby\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I wrote this, the guitar part sounded like an old melody. Something timeless. I know it sounds old, but I didn\u2019t want to complicate it just for the sake of it. On this album I wanted to go with the first thing I heard. The best songs in the world aren\u2019t complicated. They just are<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Heavenly<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A Stevie-wonder-style clavinet keyboard drives a funky gospel tribute to the man above.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody needs a shoulder to cry on when life gets colder. Well mine is the best. I know I put it to the test\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is churchy and there\u2019s no mistaking that it\u2019s a tribute to my lord and saviour. I wanted to have that Nineties-gospel, Sounds Of Blackness vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funky Lovin\u2019 (Stay With Me)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 <\/strong>A rolling breakbeat skips into a lover\u2019s funky showdown with her confused love interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s it gonna be? I need you here with me. No more fronting, we ain\u2019t playing, you\u2019re with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about the way men sometimes act so cool with women they\u2019re interested in, that it seems they couldn\u2019t even be bothered. It\u2019s quite childish. Why snub someone you actually like? It\u2019s loving, but there\u2019s something funky about it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Those days<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 A nostalgia trip, on the wings of Zonke\u2019s sultry voice, back to the days when life was simple.<\/p>\n

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