The Gugulethu Tenors, it has a great ring to it don’t you think! Hailing from one of the townships just outside Cape Town, this group combines some Italian operatic classics with a few African favourites to create a self-titled debut album that is refreshing to the ear, especially with the twist of their African accents adding a depth to define them! They have indeed made the opera genre their own with their ethnic African ambience.

They call themselves operatic crossover pop, or South Africa’s operatic pop sensation. And they are indeed doing something a little different. Plus dressed all in black tuxedos, it adds that continental flair and class which opera is renowned for.

You’ll never walk alone is a powerful take of a song from a 1945 musical, but most well known for being the song of Liverpool football club. Then there’s a Gospel Melody which is pure fun and reminds me of an Elvis track and makes you wanna wiggle and shake a little bit.

O Sole Mio is an opera classic and a highlight for me on this album, as is the African Medley which combines two Miriam Makeba tracks, The Click Song and Pata Pata as well Mbube by Ladysmith Black Mambaza. And they add a nice touch in the form of a spoken introduction to Miriam Makeba’s Pata Pata, say that they are doing it in their own Cape Town style.

They even have an Afrikaans track, Liefling, which sounds awesome when the roundness of Afrikaans is expressed in such tenoratic style. All in all, a fun album which shows their blend of genres, making opera more accessible to new audiences!

By Sue Northam
Shaping words and ideas - inspired editing, publicity and consulting
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