John Wizards (album)
| John Wizards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | September 2, 2013 |
| Recorded | 2010-2013 |
| Genre | South African house, R&B, Shangaan electro, reggae, afropop, soukous |
| Length | 43:57 |
| Label | Planet Mu |
| Producer | John Withers |
John Wizards is the first album by South African band John Wizards, released on 2 September 2013 on Planet Mu Records.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [1] |
| PopMatters |   [2] |
| NME | [3] |
| Pitchfork Media |  [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | [5] |
| Clash (magazine) | [6] |
| The Quietus | Positive [7] |
| Mojo (magazine) | [8] |
| Resident Advisor | [9] |
The album was met with critical acclaim. Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, reported an average score of 81 based on 16 reviews, described as "universal acclaim".[10] The Guardian awarded the album four out of five stars, and placed the album at number 8 on its top 10 albums of 2013.[11] Pop Matters praised the album, saying, "[John Wizards] create multiple moods and textures that flow seamlessly into one another without a single dull or unnecessary moment anywhere on this record.[12]" NME gave the album a 7 out of 10, describing John Wizards as "the most globe-trotting band you'll hear this year.[13]" The album was awarded 5th best album of the year at the Worldwide Winners awards in 2014.[14] South Africa's PLATFORM magazine placed the album at number 33 on its best albums list, with writer Andy Petersen saying, "it feels vibrant and necessary in a way that not too many South African albums of late have managed to feel."[15]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by John Withers except where noted; all music is composed by John Withers except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tek Lek Schrempf" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Lusaka by Night" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Limpop" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Muizenberg" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "iYongwe" | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Finally/Jet Up" | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Maria" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Jabu Ley" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 2:47 |
| 9. | "Jamieo" | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Leuk" | 3:46 |
| 11. | "Durvs" | 1:34 |
| 12. | "I'm Still a Serious Guy" | 2:50 |
| 13. | "Hogsback" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 2:28 |
| 14. | "Lushoto" | 3:28 |
| 15. | "Friend" (Vocals and lyrics by Emmanuel Nzaramba) | 2:45 |
References
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Benjamin. "John Wizards - John Wizards review". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Hedge Olson, Benjamin. "John Wizards: John Wizards". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Gardner, Noel. "John Wizards - 'John Wizards'". Nme.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Powell, Mike. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Bass, George. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Oliver, Matt. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Foley, Ryan. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Thequietus.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Mojo Magazine. Nov 2013. p. 90.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Ryce, Andrew. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Metacritic. "John Wizards - John Wizards". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Llewellyn Smith, Caspar. "The best albums of 2013: No 8 – John Wizards by John Wizards". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Olson, Benjamin. "John Wizards: John Wizards". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Gardner, Noel. "John Wizards - 'John Wizards'". NME. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ "WORLDWIDE AWARDS 2014 // THE WINNERS!". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ "50 Best Albums of 2013". PLATFORM. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
