Dr Stanley Maphosa returns to the music scene with brand-new Christmas album
Album features moving tracks like 'Izazi' and 'Siyathaba'
Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Doctor Stanley Maphosa is making an inspirational return to the music scene.
After album releases in 2000 and 2003, the Dokotela’s third offering is a gospel tribute to the spirit of Christmas and the core teachings of the Bible. Titled Christmas Carols: The African Style, this singalong is a collection of brand-new original material straight from the heart and mind of a talented creator.
Inspired by the desire to translate Christmas carols into indigenous languages, the new album is a multilingual journey through African gospel with a message. “The songs are recorded in Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, Venda and more. Christmas is in all of us and God hears us in our own language. When we praise the Almighty in our own language it touches in a deeper way,” said Stanley.
Recorded in Yeoville with some tweaking in his home studio, Stanley draws collaborating artists from across the gospel network. While gospel is at the album’s heart, he offers stylistic variety that weaves poetry and rap-like verses to appeal to a wider audience. “Artists must innovate. We need to put gospel into new genres because gospel is not a sound, but a message,” he mused.
An author of several books, the host of a YouTube channel focusing of leadership, and a respected diplomat promoting causes across the science and communications spheres, Stanley weaves this lyrical journey with an intelligent heart, saying, “We must always remember the central message of Christmas and that is Jesus is the reason for the season”.
Christmas Carols: The African Style is out now on Sportify, Amazon, Apple Music and YouTube.
