3 HOT summer CDs released by the Notae Group

Not 1, not even 2, but 3 hot new CDs have been released by Intyme Inc (a subsidiary of the Notae Group). The extent of our local music talent is extraordinary, a fact I am more convinced of after listening to these three hot debut albums by our very own home-grown artists Verd, Nikki and Dalen. The CDs are produced by pioneering, dynamic duo Carl and Vaughn Eaton, founders of the Intyme Inc/Notae Group conglomerate and are available now (see image for details). Each artist, Verd, Dalen and Nikki have a unique and compelling sound with supreme QUALITY oozing all over the production. What makes this 3 CD release significant is the introduction of a trend we’d like to see gain momentum in the local music industry, AFFORDABLY PRICED CDs of local artists. You can get the Verd, Dalen and Nikki CDs for only R30 each! Hopefully this will encourage people to purchase the originals instead of running around with a Verbatim/Dysan/TDK copy with koki (felt-tip pen) writing on. In fact, we’ve taken a stance here at Bruinou.com, that if you come across somebody with a non-original copy of any of these artists, then by all means, GWAAR them mercilessly for being cheapskate parasites. Our artists need our support and at R30/CD, there is now no longer any excuse for us not supporting them.

After listening to these artists, my faith in the South African music industry has been restored. We most certainly are capable of producing world-class artists with the production and musical quality to match anything the best in the world can throw at us. Checkout our artist reviews and make sure you get a copy for yourself…you definitely won’t regret it!

VERD: Still Luv U

There’s simply one word to describe Verd’s debut album – soulful. Move over Usher; SA has its own silky RNB voice. For the title track “Still Luv U” Verd sings lead and backing vocals. He’s joined by Kerry Cherry in “Baby” and in a dance remix of the same song, Loki adds a hip-hop flava to the track. I enjoyed every track on this album but number two “Be My Queen” is definitely my favourite. All the songs are smooth and seamless so I was a bit disappointed with the backing vocals on this track. In my opinion they didn’t really ‘gel’ with Verd’s voice, or maybe they were a good complement. Whatever the case, listen to it and make up your own mind. This one I highly recommend.

NIKKI: You

When I heard this album the first thing that went through my mind was ‘Finally Tamara Dey has some competition!’ The girl from the Burgs (that’s Pietermaritzburg for the hopefully few uninformed) definitely has vocals and combined with such hot beats, You is the ideal party album. She gives any established house artist a run for their money with her short and sweet debut album. Not much of a fan of house music myself, I was quite impressed with the mixes on this album. It is mainly house with some dance tracks that are sure party starters at any jol that calls itself a jol.

DALEN: Be Your Man

The young Capetonian’s first effort is something he should be proud of. There’s something for everyone including a ballad “Do you still love me” and a funky dance song with an eighties disco beat, suitably called “Old School Days”. This track makes you wanna get on your feet and dance. “Be Your Man”, the title track is an upbeat contemporary number, definitely for the ladies. Yes this album does have ‘pop’ written all over it (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but each track has a distinct sound and the catchy tunes and lyrics will have you singing along. It should appeal to a large audience.