This is one of my favourite Johnny Clegg songs. The original version from the 1990 album Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World featured Solly Letwaba on bass. More recent recordings, including the great live version on A South African Story, were performed by Concord Nkabinde, who can be seen in the video below. I especially like the bass/sax lead break towards the end of the performance.
The bass line in Dela is smooth yet punchy, rhythmic and melodic. Listen as the bass kicks in after the first few bars... The start/stop pattern and cleverly placed accents on top of a solid groove keep this song bubbling along in a happy, if sometimes melancholic, mood.
Notes for the novice: To really appreciate the bass in a song, you need a suitably sized sound system or decent headphones - your little laptop speakers won't cut it.
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