Single Review: Africa

One thing is for sure. Wellington is not warm enough to do this song justice.

Sitting in my lounge this morning, listening to this song through my humble laptop speakers, I became starchily aware of the 7-degree temperature and the 50kph winds trying to break through the single glazing.

This is a BIG SUMMER tune. It’s a cocktail-in-hand, dancing-with-someone-you-don’t-know-on-the-beach tune.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about Afrobeat or Afropop but D.Matthews makes it sound like a lot of fun. A self-described blend of traditional African elements with global mainstream pop, Africa is a genuinely uplifting and carefree song. The music is simple, catchy, and it doesn’t seem like it’s trying to be anything it’s not. As a vocalist D.Matthews is relaxed and charismatic, his voice makes me feel at ease. The vocal layering is creative, over a reggaeton beat with more dramatic horns in the breakdown.

Big party.

Surely to be on some festival line-ups over the summer, but I hope some of you are somewhere warm enough to enjoy it now.