Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

South African eight-piece multi-cultural and international outfit Khanyisa have escaped their homeland and judging by this, most of the real musical sense that they belong to the African continent. Instead, they sound like an awful lot of other Nashville combos with a smooth pop sound, highly polished vocals and catchy songs. Not that this is a bad thing incidentally, because occasionally (they come over like a Sting album and at other times they're a little more interesting. Before you ask, the band's name is actually pronounced Kaneesa - if that helps - and it means "to bring light". Standouts include the groovy "Jesus Christ Is The Same" with its strong rhythms and memorable chorus. "Color Of Love" is a soulful anthem and "Piclures" and "Love Can Be Real" are both packed with soulful vocal performances. Fave song? Got to be the blue-eyed soul sound of "Crazy Love" which isn't too much of a musical stretch from a group like Newsong. Anyway, you get the idea, if you like that kind of crisp soulful pop, there's plenty here to interest you.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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