Slow Jack and Tatenda wekwaTenzi, Wolf at Night Review
Adrienne and Andrew McDermott have taken their passion for travel, art, fashion, music, and creations from all around the world and combined it with a socially and purpose-driven mission. The first is a purpose-driven clothing brand that gives away all profits to TheCup.org. The second is Various Roots, which mission is to produce socially conscious works of art created by artists from around the world to promote diversity and inclusion in mainstream (western) media. Their goal is to play a role in breaking stereotypes to fight bigotry and increase openness. Various Roots has produced a song titled “Wolf at Night” that features two South African vocalist, Shona and Afrikaans. The song also marks the first-time collaboration between Jayme Van Tonder, from the smash-hit South African band Slow Jack, and Shona songstress Tatenda wekwaTenzi. The two vocalists, both living in Cape Town, South Africa, were brought together to create this track by Various Roots, as a part of their Heritage of Queendom campaign promoting talented female artists from Southern Africa.
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Positives:
The sounds of African Pop-Rock convey the soulful playing and singing through this well-written tune with a solid mission.
Bottom Line:
“Wolf at Night” is a collaboration between artists hailing from Zimbabwe and South Africa. This song was created for International Women's Day as an ode to the power and unstoppable life-force of their female partners – being fierce and assertive like ‘a wolf at night,’ with the unrelenting determination of being ‘a woman on a roll.’ The music was composed and performed by the Slow Jack band (of Afrikaans, South African descent), with Tatenda wekwaTenzi (Shona, Zimbabwean descent) on the hand-held marimba (karimba). Shona lyrics were written by Tatenda wekwaTenzi, and the English lyrics were written by Hannes Muller (Slow Jack) and Andrew McDermott (Various Roots). The two-vocalist blend beautifully and both deliver the melody with passion and intent. The band provides a deep groove and the song has many twists and turns to keep the listener engaged. Music is the universal language that crosses all boundaries to bring us together and “Wolf at Night” is a prime example of music’s power. Various Roots convey their uplifting message with conviction and eloquence, making for a stunning listen and a socially conscious level of awareness. That’s the short of it!