10th October 2016, Johannesburg: South African supergroup Mango Groove confirm the release of their first new material in 7 years.  The double album titled, Faces To The Sun, is set for release on 28 October 2016.  

 

The album comprises 24 songs, includes 9 all-new, original Mango Groove tracks and also features 15 powerful and touching renditions of classic South African songs, with collaborations with some of SA’s finest artists.

 

The new material celebrates Mango Groove’s skillful penmanship, with the lead single entitled From The Get Go.  Other stand out tracks include the beautiful Kind and the title track, Faces To The Sun.

 

Says Claire Johnston, ‘’Wow, this really was a project of the heart for us: over four years in the making, a host of new songs we are really proud of, and at the same time a chance to celebrate our favourite SA songs from the last few decades.’’

 

The collaborations are truly special with legendary and new artists alike, adding their voices to unforgettable songs like Mmalo We, Malaika, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Kinders Van Die Wind and Another Country, to mention but a few. Featured artists include Rebecca Malope, Vusi Mahlasela, Juanita du Plessis, Zolani Mahola from Freshly Ground, Kurt Darren, Romanz, Mo T from Mi Casa, and “Big Voice Jack” Lerole (his last ever recordings), among others.

 

Says John Leyden, ‘’The choice of collaborators was a very personal process for us, and we feel hugely honoured and privileged that so many great SA artists chose to celebrate this project with us. We chose iconic SA artists that have been part of our own musical journey and whose amazing voices suited our interpretations of the songs, but at the same time, we also worked with a couple of new and exciting contemporary artists that brought their own magic to the tracks’’

 

Says Claire Johnston, ‘’In many ways, for Mango Groove the  ‘’Faces to the Sun’’ project was about much more than music, as it was about celebrating being South African in all its many forms. In essence, the two CDs are really just different sides of the same coin. If ‘’Memories and Moments’’ (the first CD)) celebrates where we have come from, and the great SA tracks that have touched us through the decades, then ‘’Here, Now and Forever’’ (the second CD) is very much about Mango Groove today, and where we are going in the future.’’

 

The new album will be released by Warner Music South Africa. 

Says MD, Tracy Fraser: “Mango Groove is quite simply South African music royalty. We are very excited to help write the next chapter in their incredible story.”

 

Three songs herald the release of Faces To The Sun. These include the new track From The Get Go, plus Kinders Van Die Wind, featuring Juanita du Plessis and Another Country, featuring Zolani Mahola. (see full tracklisting below)

 

 

CD1: Memories and Moments

1.     Durban Road 

2.     Another Country (featuring Zolani Mahola)

3.     Kinders van die Wind (featuring Juanita du Plessis)

4.     Mmalo We (featuring Rebecca Malope)

5.     Under African Skies (featuring Kurt Darren and ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)

6.     Emlanjeni (featuring NJ Kunene)

7.     Great Heart

8.     Remember Me (featuring Andrew Baird)

9.     Meva (featuring ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)

10.    Malaika (featuring Vusi Mahlasela)

11.    Weeping 

12.    The Lion Sleeps Tonight (featuring Romanz)

13.    Meadowlands

14.    Vulindlela 

15.    Master Jack 

 

CD2: Here, Now and Forever

1.     From the Get Go

2.     Faces to the Sun 

3.     Kind

4.     Chobolo (featuring ‘’Big Voice Jack’’ Lerole)

5.     In Our Own Paradise

6.     Sweet Surprise

7.     Colour 

8.     Durban Road Summer Remix (featuring Bra Banza Kgasoane and Mo T)

9.     The Road (featuring Tapiwa Mugadza)