If you, like me, just can’t stop humming that “Safe As Houses” song currently playing on Jacaranda 94.2, you will be excited to hear that there is a whole album full of musical gems from aKING.
aKING’s debut album, Dutch Courage, is 11 clever tracks from the musical genius of Bellville boys; Hunter Kennedy (guitars), Laudo Liebenberg (vocals), Hennie van Halen (bass) and Jaco “Snake” Venter (drums). If the names Hunter Kennedy and Snake are ringing a bell which is connected to a frown from your mum… it would… and they are… ex-Polisiekar members.
But do not be fooled or afraid, aKING is nothing like Polisiekar. For one, they have opted for finely tuned English songs with no swearing, no irony, no shock value (well, if you don’t count the fact that they don’t sound anything like Polisiekar) – just tongue-in-cheek cynical masterpieces – voiced by the low intensity of the atypical nightingale that is Laudo.
Somewhere in a basement in Boksburg songs were co-penned by Laudo and Hunter while Johnny de Ridder (also ex-Polisiekar) and JP de Stefani mixed and produced easy listening songs with a country-inspired-tinge and a classic rock flavour.
The album opens with a powerful shot in the form of “Decomposing Lullaby”, a song which got me really excited with its clever use of the drums. This is followed by the infectious energy of the album’s first single “The Dance”, the honest “Guilty As Sin” and the sentimental closer “Shine Your Light”.
Dutch Courage favourites? All 11 tracks. This album is awesome, the production is brilliant, the lyrics are clever, the music is great – I would highly recommend that you add this to your CD collection, maybe even having it signed because if this isn’t their breakout album, the next one will be.
Reviewer: HO |
