Bang the Drum (album)
| Bang the Drum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Mango Groove | ||||
| Released | September 2009 | |||
| Genre | Afropop | |||
| Length | 1:08:05 | |||
| Label | EMI Records | |||
| Mango Groove chronology | ||||
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Bang the Drum is the fifth studio album by South African Afropop band Mango Groove. Released in September 2009, it was the band's first studio album since Eat a Mango in 1995.
Lead singer Claire Johnston told an interviewer that the band wanted to produce "a 'roots' album… infused with… contemporary influences". Two of the songs, she said, represent two aspects of Mango Groove: "Hey" has the "fun, pennywhistle party sound", and "Belong" (a song about being South African) shows a "more introspective side". One album track, "My Blue Ocean", had four completely different incarnations before the band chose the version to release. Johnston described the version that made the cut as "simple, ambient, [and] heartfelt". "Before that it was tablas, choirs, rock guitars, Mongolian chants, Peter Gabriel synth samples and so on," she said. "Lay Down Your Heart (Bagamoyo)", a song about slavery, includes Swahili lyrics written by the father of bandleader John Leyden. Prior to the Mango Groove version, the song had been recorded by singer Ayanda Nhlangothi for the album Rights Africa (EMI, 2000). Ayanda is the daughter of Mango Groove singer Marilyn Nokwé.
The band recorded music videos for two songs from the album: "Give It (All Day, All Night)" and "This Is Not a Party". In 2011, both videos were released on DVD as extras for Mango Groove: Live in Concert.
Several months after Bang the Drum, the band released a Portuguese version of the song "Hey!" with Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo. It appeared on the EP 2010 Brasil! (EMI, 2010), and was later included in the Mango Groove compilation album Shhhhh…! Have You Heard? The Ultimate Collection, 1989–2011 (Gallo Record Company, 2011).
Dave Durbach of the online magazine Mahala felt the album lacked innovation, and that the band had "played it too safe". While he found merit in some songs—such as "Utolika" and "This Is Not a Party", he observed that the sentimental ballads "My Blue Ocean" and "Lay Down your Heart" were far too similar to such fan favourites as "Moments Away" and "Another Country". He asks: "What's the point of risking a comeback if you don’t have something new to say?"
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