Songs of Hope and Defiance4 Out Of 5 Stars
Made in honor of member Dudu Zulu, who had been assassinated in the last years of the apartheid, "Heat Dust and Dreams" would be Johnny Clegg's final album with Savuka. In fact, Clegg ended up not releasing another album in America until "Human" in 2010. His music remained in the spotlight, with several songs appearing in movie soundtracks. "Heat Dust and Dreams" was prime Clegg, mixing his brands of South African music with westernized pop. The album even opens with bagpipes behind an African chant (that translates to "the watchman's fire is burning") on the questioning "These Days." As a fan of Clegg would be able to tell you, Clegg's mix of music and politics made for always intriguing listening, with "Heat Dust and Dreams" being no exception.
That's why it has always been frustrating to me that Clegg and Savuka (or his earlier band, Jaluka) couldn't break into the American mainstream. Capitol Records in the States obviously felt he could do it, as "These Days" was produced by the then super-hot Don Was. Longtime contributor Hilton Rosenthal manned the boards for the rest of the disc, but the overwhelming force of Clegg and the band made the choice of producers irrelevant. He effortlessly moved between love songs ("I Can Never Be") to the political condemnation towards the "Inevitable Consequence of Progress."
"The pilot pulled the chopper around
and we got into position
we made all the right moves and
there wasn't any real opposition.
Crazy tribesmen shooting arrows at the 'ship overhead
Such a weird spectacle
the Sarge he smiled and he said
"There's a new world coming and
there ain't no place for them--
Don't feel sad son for what history has condemned."
Having been an artist who spent much of his career fighting the injustices of Apartheid, Clegg's politics are not facile protests. It makes songs like "Progress" and the prayer for peace "When The System Has Fallen" all the more potent. Yet, even with the politics, Clegg knows how to craft songs that lift and inspire, even with the often dark subject matter. U2 had been mining the same turf (as had Midnight Oil to a lesser degree of success), so again, I always has a difficult time reconciling the themes of those bands with Clegg's lack of American success. That's not to say he was lacking for an audience. In addition to his native South Africa, Savuka was wildly popular throughout Europe.
So maybe you missed "Heat Dust and Dreams" or my other favorites "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World" and "Shadow Man," but the MP3 generation can find these easily. Don't miss out.
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