Jonathan Butler - Live In South Africa

Butler opens his set with bubbly instrumental jazz tune “Afrika” taking us back to his 1986 debut album, Introducing Jonathan Butler. Then he transports us to a deeper emotional level with his distinctive harmonious guitar riffs in “7th Avenue”. Groovy African jazz joint “Wake Up” is just one of those jams that have a cross-over appeal and will make people who never dance wish they could salsa. Best of all are those carefully handpicked love ballads we’ve come to know Mr Loverboy for: a passion-fuelled version of the Staple Singers song “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)” and the 90s R&B flavoured “I’m On My Knees” which he hammers away at for almost ten minutes before urging us to celebrate love in “Dance With Me”. More disappointing is his re-make of reggae legend, Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”. Jonathan’s version is slower, less groovy and fails to deliver the emotional punch line of the original.

-Tiisetso Tlelima