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DJ Cleo's title track kick starts the shout outs with its kinetic cocktail of African praise poetry, kwaito raps, hypnotic house rhythms and yes, even a vuvuzela blast into an instant invitation to dance. The pace doesn't let up for a second with the bass-bleeding carnival rapped electro-hop contagion of JR's "Show Dem (Make the Circle Beega)" shape-shifting into the Muthaland Crunk booty call of Jozi's "Party Time", the rolling bass 'n vernacular rapped strut of Skwatta Kamp's "S'gubhu" and Imbube all stars Young Nations, HHP, F-Eezy and El Nino "Ama Vuvuzela" remix.
Each track on this play list is so consistently funky, rootsy and yes, Proudly South African they make those Official WC anthem mismatches like "Waka Waka" (available on other compilations) sound like soul-less sales pitches.
Until Dr Alban breathes new soul into his one hit wonder “Hello Afrika” (with a little help from Dr Victor) that is. It's by no means a floor killer, but its ragga popped reanimation adds little new to the original stadium anthem groove. Unlike Stoan and Speedy's rendition of the all-time classic "Burnout" which turns Sipho Hotstix Mabuse's township jive into a 21st century hip-shaker that's guaranteed to rock dancefloors in both Soweto and Sandton.
And if it's upwardly mobile movers 'n shakers you're into then DJ Sbu's "Vuvuzela Bafana" is the BEE bomb. Who else but the master of symphonic deep house beats could actually make a chorus of vuvuzelas sound sublime?
Okay, so there are the occasional odd couplings. Donald Clarke and Leon Schuster’s stadium Afro rock experiment "Khuthala Bo!" is such a stirring fist pumper it's surprising Supersport haven't already licensed it to soundtrack the Super 14 Rugby. Still, the sprinkling of reggae (Eddy Grant's "Bafana Bafana (We Love You)"), maskandi (Matsekha Grooves' "Bafana Bafana"), a cappella choir song (Amaryoni's "Bafana Bafana") and Afrikaans pop (Kurt Darren's "Kom 'n Bietjie Hier") more than makes up for Jamali's blank booty babe titillations ("Mzansi") and the vocodored excesses of bubblegum pop princesses (Chomee's Shaya "LaBafana" and the La Vu Vu Zela Girls "Play To Win").
If the first disc is spot on target for teens, 20 and 30-somethings, then the second disc is going to score big time with the gogos and grandpas. While none of these vintage hits from the vaults had originally anything to do with football, anthems by Lucky Dube ("Together As One"), Miriam Makeba ("Pata Pata"), Margaret Singana (Ipi Intombi's "The Warrior"), Hugh Masekela ("Stimela"), Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse ("Burnout"), Mango Groove ("Special Star") and Thandiswa Mazwai ("Zabalaza") make for inspirational listening.
