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Last year’s restructuring of the awards (while needed and long overdue) produced a situation where genres compete against one another, despite being constructed and evaluated on different — and sometimes opposing — criteria.
Thus the Best Male Artist category includes guitarist Bheki Khoza’s Getting To Heaven Alive, pianist Paul Hanmer’s soundtrack album Accused No1, bassist Musa Manzini’s Simply Life, Kabelo’s kwaito outing Exodus and Vusi Mahlasela’s folky vocal Naledi Ya Tsala. Whoever wins, it’s hard to say that Khoza, for example, is “better” than Kabelo — they simply occupy different musical territories. It’s like judging wine against football stadiums.
Africa 2007
Khoza looks set fair to pick up at least one award, since he’s also nominated for Album of the Year and Best Instrumental Jazz Album, as well as Best Producer for his work on Simphiwe Dana’s One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street. Dana also has multiple nominations: Best Female Artist; Album of the Year; Best Vocal Jazz and Best Contemporary Jazz Album as well as the Best Producer slot.