SAMA 18 - The 18th Annual MTN South African Music Awards Nominees

The 18th instalment of the SAMAs is expected to be bigger and better than the previous year's event.

Firstly, the event is moving back to its traditional home, the Sun City Superbowl. Secondly, music man and Idols judge Randall Abrahams is at the helm of what had become a stale organising committee. Judging by the calibre of nominees, fans can also expect scintillating performances when the actual event takes place on April 30.

The many fans that will not be able to get hold of tickets to the event need not worry. The SAMA 18 -The 18th Annual MTN South African Music Awards Nominees album will ensure that they can experience the event from the comfort of their homes. One of the biggest recording labels in SA, Gallo Records, has joined forces with the organisers of this year's event and put together two albums featuring all the nominees.

The albums each contain two discs inside and each disc has more than 15 tracks of the hottest songs currently on air-play across most radio stations in South Africa.

The first album contains songs that belong to the Street Urban, Kwaito, Jazz, African Adult, Faith, Maskandi and Collaborations category.  In it one can find hits like Zahara's "Loliwe", AKA's "Victory Lap" and Jozi's "Moving the City".

It's a quality offering bar the fact that it is a concoction that will leave you bemused. One moment you will be jumping up and down to a pumping hip hop track, the next moment you are expected to sing along to Gospel king Solly Moholo's "Mwamba Mwamba", this is after being subjected to a numbing jazz number from Jimmy Dludlu titled "Tonota".

The schizophrenic personality of the compilation continues in the second album which contains Rock, Pop, Adult Contemporary, Classical, Sokkie and Alternative category nominees.

On this album The Dirty Skirts' "Strike a Match" jostles for space with Goodluck's "These Streets" as well as Brandon October's "Dis Waar Liefde Is".

Both albums are impossible to play from start to finish. Music selection is generally dictated by mood, which means you must listen closely while continuously pressing the forward or skip button to select the song that best personifies your state of mind at that particular moment.

The compilation is a good idea, but badly executed. One might be tempted to ask, "How then do you successfully put together all these great artists?" You don't. There is no need for this type compilation except maybe to fill the pockets of some record label.