The former Idols contestant is miles away from that embarrassing moment when a young tartlet stole her shine. On her second album, she's indulging in mostly decadent Afrikaans pop that highlights her incredible voice. I'm a little scared to say her range could match Mariah Carey's, but she'll tackle any note and her velvety tone seems to carry it through.
The title track is a sweet, romantic ditty singing about 'wit perde' and 'berge'; essentially a great sokkie treffer, as are "Wens Jy Was Nou Hier" and "Rock My Weer". Andriette has fun with her songs, and I think she finds a great deal of freedom in making an album like this.
Elsewhere, "Saam Met Jou" drops the ball with bad synth motifs and not enough range to show off Andriette's best talents. It sounds more like a kiddies' TV show sing-a-long than a pop song.
On one of the first studio shows of 2007's Idols, Andriette sang Eva Cassidy's "Songbird". It was such a mature, evocative choice that cemented her as my favourite in the competition. She revisits the song on this album with even more understanding and control, delivering it beautifully. It also proves that even though she's Afrikaans, she's not limited by an accent.
Furthermore, Andriette bravely channels Ma Brr on "African Medley" with "Vuli Ndlela", wrapping her tongue around the lyrics with a little trepidation, but her effort has to be commended. Her tone more than makes up for a missed click here and there. She's also pretty good at mimicking; her interpretations of Mango Groove's Claire Johnston in "Special Star" and "Dance Sum More" are spot on.
Besides all this, the cover is worth a good ogle too. Andriette is looking gorgeous and happy. No more chubby arms,
Chris McEvoy!
Send us your movie, music and live gig reviews and columns and get published on
Channel24. Send your articles to
» PublishMe@sa.24.com