Nakhane Touré was the man in music in 2015. His collaboration with Black Coffee, “We Dance Again”, was one of the biggest hits of the year. His book Piggy Boy’s Blues was also received well by both critics and fans. The Laughing Son, the EP he released recently is also a gem. Below he shares a list of his five favourite albums of all time.
Marvin Gaye – Here My Dear
“It really touched something in me. It was, and still is, such a strange record. I remember my mother coming back one morning from record shopping and her putting the album on blast. Immediately, something shook in me. That afternoon after she had gone to visit friends, I sat in front of the record player just soaking the album in, with the liner notes in my hands. From that moment, I actually began getting used to the album and developed more interest. There is just something unique about it.”
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part 1
“When I first heard this album I was working at Look & Listen. I borrowed it to listen to it at night. The cover also enticed me. It looked so classic, very 70s’ jazz and soul records-like. It was Erykah with an enormous afro with all societal ills in it. The music was, and still is, on another level. It still remains one of her most hip-hop sounding albums, with throbbing bass lines, banging kicks, brilliant lyrics and sass for days.”
Busi Mhlongo – Urban Zulu
“This album’s music leads from roots maskandi tradition, with cascading acoustic guitar lines and buoyant bass throbs at the fore. Every track is on point and her music creates a sensation of being inevitable because the riffs are so organic, it feels like it would be a crime against nature if they fell together any other way. It’s truly a spiritual album and that’s what I love about it. As a person who grew up to strict cultural beliefs, I connect well with this one.”
Radiohead – In Rainbows
“This was the album that convinced me to pick up my guitar and start writing music. It had everything; snarling guitars, sensual vocals, psychedelic but minimal instrumentation. But above everything, it sounded so current. For a long time I had been indoctrinated with the notion that 21st century music does not compare or rather compete with 20th century music. This album put a lid on that jar. That’s what I liked most about it.”
Talk Talk – Laughing stock
“This album I discovered when I was studying literature at Wits. I had heard about it for years but when I finally listened to it, I couldn’t believe that this was the same Talk Talk that produced pop hits like “It’s my life”. I was walking to catch a taxi, and I was hearing influences from such disparate and obscure places. Miles Davis, country music, soul, all in one beautiful piece of music.”
Share your favourite albums of all time with us in the comments section or on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out Moozle‘s selection here. Look out for three more artists sharing their favorite albums of all time, in this series. Next up is Moonchild.
Follow Nakhane on Twitter and Facebook. Also be sure to grab a copy of his latest EP, The Laughing Son here.
