17 Jul TOP TO TAIL: Albums I Do Not Play About
South Africa’s music landscape is much like our topography: it is rich, it is layered, and it has a lot to offer. African music has long since been a compelling form of storytelling, carrying melodic tales of history, of romance, of joy, grief, and everything in between. One such album is Buyelekhaya by Nathi Mankayi, a record I deeply believe will stand the test of time. More than a decade since its release, it is an album I simply refuse to hear any criticism of. I don’t play about this LP or any of the projects I will be covering in this series. I will be taking you through each album from top to tail, discussing its merits and just why it means so much to me.
Nomvula remains Nathi Mankayi’s most successful single, and is a flawless, Afro-jazz swing into the groove of this album. Composed alongside Bongani Mahlaole, this song about love delayed and denied rode the airwaves across radio stations for a large part of the twenty-teens. South Africans everywhere know this song’s refrain by heart, as they should.
From there, Nathi smoothly takes us into Imibuzo, the second of ten tracks on this project. On here, he croons about the questions weighing on his heart. The listening experience deepens as you get a glimpse into a story of heartbreak while Nathi paints a picture of how it brings up questions of self-doubt and self worth (or the lack of it). This track, more than any other, echoes the style and cadence of Mankayi’s predecessors. The likes of Ringo Madlingozi and Ntando echo very strongly in the reggae-influenced bridge and songwriting of this song. It is unsurprising, then, that Ntandokayise Bangani appears on the credits of this excellent song.
The third song on this album is among my favourite, as it is arguably the most soul-stirring, compelling Mankayi has ever written. Noba Ngumama is a vulnerable track where Nathi calls out for his mother and also gives some insight into his background. This is Afro-soul at its finest, as the song builds and paints a picture of a person reckoning with the consequences of their actions.
Nomakanjani features the only collaboration on this project, with Vusi Nova perfectly complementing Nathi on this song emphasising “to death do us part”. As a Xhosa person, this is a staple at weddings, anniversary parties and the like. “Sofa silahlane” echoes my sentiments on this album. You will have to pry my physical CD from my cold, dead hands.
Nathi did his big one with the three-song run from Ndenzenjani to Ezweni. After Liziwe closes out the first act of this album with the melancholic love songs, Ndenzenjani is the first of three tracks about introspection. Think self-searching lyrics, bolstered by percussion you feel on your bones. The title track aptly named Buyel’ekhaya touches on the all-too-common motif of the absent father. It is the classic tale of a single mother and the impact of your childhood experience on where you stand today. Ezweni rounds out this segment, with Nathi singing about the suffering we call survival. He expertly touches on themes of conflict-resolution, crime and community building as well as social decay. While Nathi addresses heavy themes in this album, his selection when it comes to production simultaneously carries optimism and hope.
I wish I could say that I will be one of many singing along with Nathi as he embarks on his Buyelekhaya Tour later this year. He will be touching five major cities, and announced on his Instagram that he is in talks to add a second date to the Cape Town stop. Tickets can be found on WebTickets, however, by the time this article goes live, various dates have already sold out.
The final act of this album is classical Afro-soul in the South African context. What I mean by this, is that you could lend the instrumental of Intliziyo to Zonke or the lyrics of Imizamo Yam to the late, great Zahara or Amanda Black. Each of them could do these songs justice. That is the gist of why this debut album from Nathi immediately placed him in a class of vocalists and songwriters who have made music history with their indelible marks on the industry. Zonke, Zahara and Amanda Black can all be called his peers, at the very least on my Afro Soul playlists.
Buyel’ekhaya, directly translated from Mankayi’s mother tongue IsiXhosa, means ‘return home’. Buyel’ekhaya is one of those albums that have added richness, depth, colour and so much more to my life story. It will always sound and feel like it does to return home, to return to self, and take me back to nostalgic memories.
