Rediscovering Johnny Clegg
4 Out Of 5 Stars
I was shocked to read that Johnny Clegg hasn't released and American Album in 17 years. Frankly, I stumbled on this CD at the infamous Rasputin's Record Store while on a visit to San Fransisco in February, already four months after "Human" was released. The other surprise is that "Huamn" is released on Appleseed Recordings, a small label based near where I live, and home to, as their website proudly states, is "an independent, idealistic and internationally distributed record label devoted to releasing socially conscious contemporary, folk and roots music." In other words, perfect for an artist like Johnny Clegg.
"Human" is a continuation of the mixture of Afro-beat, contemporary pop and world politics that Clegg has been recording since the late 70's. The two lead tracks, "Love In The Time of Gaza" and "The World Is Calling" set the tome straight off; Clegg has lost none of his fiery opinions nor his strong voice. Yet even in the despair of war, there is time for hope, as "All I Got is You" and "Here Comes That Feeling Again." Clegg wrote 11 of the 12 tracks here, in a mix of English and Zulu, with the 12th song a traditional Zulu piece titled "Magumede" that closes the CD.
The most moving song here for me is "Hidden Away Down," Clegg's tribute to the late Senator Edward Kennedy. In Clegg's eloquent liner notes, he remarks on his admiration for men who can overcome their demons, find love and (in Kennedy's case) make laws for the good of people that aren't able to give voice to their disadvantages. He paraphrases Hemingway by dedicating the songs to "those who have had to overcome their broken parts. They are the quiet heroes and are truly Human." That statement certainly quantifies Johnny Clegg, an artist who has suffered the bitter and sometimes lethal injustices of Apartheid (one of his band members, Dudu Zulu, was shot and killed in 1993). "Human" continues breathing life into Clegg's beautiful and powerful creative universe.
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