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As her first full length album in three years, Karen Zoid's new Terms and conditions teeters on the edge of being a comeback album.
But listening to the often grimy, guitar laden tunes exhibiting Zoid's trademark raspy voice, and a prominent country, bluesy twang, reminds you of the reasons Zoid is a unique force in the SA music scene. And still one to be reckoned with.
Despite Terms and Conditions' somewhat familiar feel, it does dish up some tasty morsels of fresh rock and roll, particularly in the form of “Broomstick”, “Dangerous” and “Attitude vir Afrika”.
Zoid's typical mixing of humour and light, yet sardonic social commentary is once again detectable and crops up on tracks like “Retail Therapy”, and “Attitude vir Afrika”. On ”Moordenaar”, though, she delves decidedly deeper - excavating a darker South African reality often ignored by most local artists .
Although there are moments where she seems to lose herself in the satire (acting out little scenes in different accents (again) and belting out "chicky bum chicky bubblegum" with seeming earnestness) it does lighten up the overall feel, which makes for a record that refuses to take itself too seriously.
Feel-good tracks like “Do What You Do” continue in this vein and present pleasant melodic moments, while Afrikaans offerings like “Want As Ek Droom” and “Bly by My” remind us why Karen Zoid charmed us in the first place with her simple, yet heartfelt lyrics, beautifully delivered in Die Taal with disarming honesty.
Terms and Conditions feels like an overview of her colourful musical history so far, but also a foray into unchartered territory. Ending the album with Leonard Cohen's ridiculously iconic “Hallelujah” seems like a risk for a female South African artist to take, but Zoid pulls it off with a style that is all her own.
Sure, it may have been a few years since someone has referred to her as a “rock chick”, but Zoid fans will not be disappointed by her evident ability to still rock it out.
But listening to the often grimy, guitar laden tunes exhibiting Zoid's trademark raspy voice, and a prominent country, bluesy twang, reminds you of the reasons Zoid is a unique force in the SA music scene. And still one to be reckoned with.
Despite Terms and Conditions' somewhat familiar feel, it does dish up some tasty morsels of fresh rock and roll, particularly in the form of “Broomstick”, “Dangerous” and “Attitude vir Afrika”.
Zoid's typical mixing of humour and light, yet sardonic social commentary is once again detectable and crops up on tracks like “Retail Therapy”, and “Attitude vir Afrika”. On ”Moordenaar”, though, she delves decidedly deeper - excavating a darker South African reality often ignored by most local artists .
Although there are moments where she seems to lose herself in the satire (acting out little scenes in different accents (again) and belting out "chicky bum chicky bubblegum" with seeming earnestness) it does lighten up the overall feel, which makes for a record that refuses to take itself too seriously.
Feel-good tracks like “Do What You Do” continue in this vein and present pleasant melodic moments, while Afrikaans offerings like “Want As Ek Droom” and “Bly by My” remind us why Karen Zoid charmed us in the first place with her simple, yet heartfelt lyrics, beautifully delivered in Die Taal with disarming honesty.
Terms and Conditions feels like an overview of her colourful musical history so far, but also a foray into unchartered territory. Ending the album with Leonard Cohen's ridiculously iconic “Hallelujah” seems like a risk for a female South African artist to take, but Zoid pulls it off with a style that is all her own.
Sure, it may have been a few years since someone has referred to her as a “rock chick”, but Zoid fans will not be disappointed by her evident ability to still rock it out.
