Rating: 4.8
Her long-awaited album is finally here.
Honest, soulful and full of vulnerability; Amanda Black’s latest offering titled 'Mnyama' might just be her best yet.
What we thought of the album
Three words sum up ‘Mnyama’: home, faith and love.
If there is one thing we’ve learned about Amanda Black since she shot into the music industry – it's that she is a storyteller.
From the first song, ‘Ndandihlel’, to the last, titled ‘Always’ on her 10-track album, she tells a story of loss, triumph, romance, heartbreak and unwavering faith.
Before the album was released on 6 August 2021, her single ‘Kutheni Na’ featuring rapper Kwesta set a tone for what we should expect from her album.
The Eastern Cape-born singer found herself writing and pouring her heart out during an unprecedented time as COVID-19 destabilised the world as we knew it.
‘Kutheni Na’, beautifully captures her helplessness and confusion. It resonates with the listener, she sings and expresses the pain we’ve all felt during this pandemic.
Her lyricism took me on a journey and left me reflecting on my own experiences.
Her song titled ‘Lonely’ is also a deeply personal one where she expresses that all she wants is her family and to be home.
Her love for home, Mthatha, stands out in this album. She might be in Johannesburg for work but her heart is very much back home.
And what would an Amanda Black album be without a love song? The first song on the album, ‘Ndandihleli’, is all about love struggles and heartache.
But it is not all sad and gloom.
She also added songs of female empowerment.
‘Pick Yourself Up’ and ‘Ungayeki’ will motivate you to get up and try again.
From motivation to spirituality, ‘Ekuphileni’, featuring J-Something is a prayer.
At a time where people are in despair and anguish, the song beautifully reads the room and allows the listener to sing a little prayer for better times with her.
Having been raised Catholic, ‘Ekuphileni’ is my frontrunner. It is an adaptation of a hymn of ours at church. It sums up how faith carries us through life.
About the artist
She was introduced into the entertainment industry when she was 23 in the singing competition Idols SA.
She quickly became a fan favourite.
Although she didn’t win the competition, she scored a recording deal with Ambitiouz Entertainment soon after.
In 2016, she released her debut song, Amazulu, which shot to the top of the music charts.
The song also won Album of the Year, Best Newcomer of the Year, Best Female Artist of Year.
In 2019, she released her sophomore album, Power.
In a previous interview with Drum, she said she is now more refined in how she allows herself to write and be expressive.
