Jonathan Butler

Live In South Africa

(Rendezvous)

With his colorful mix of breezy acoustic guitar instrumentals and powerful, throaty vocal tunes, Jonathan Butler has been a popular force on the smooth jazz circuit for years, most recently touring in 2005 and 2007 as part of Jazz Attack with Peter White, Rick Braun, and Richard Elliot. But anyone who’s experienced Butler’s charismatic live performances knows his mix of jazz, pop, gospel, and world music happily transcends the usual light funk genre trappings.

Fans often leave his shows singing those infectious choruses to his biggest hits, “Sarah Sarah” and “Lies.” Those who haven’t seen him live now have the chance to see the twice-Grammy-nominated star on this CD/DVD set that’s more than simply another bright performance. It also marks the emotional homecoming.

Butler was born in a three-bedroom South African shack shared by his parents, 12 siblings, and 13 nieces and nephews. The DVD has poignant film clips of the singer revisiting places of his youth as well as live performances. With the help of a native choir, he takes the audience back to his 1986 debut, Introducing Jonathan Butler, with a rousing take on the mostly instrumental “Afrika” before offering the gospel-flavored “This is Love,” the urgent lovelorn plea “I’m On My Knees,” and his stretched-out version of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.”

The hit parade of romantic soul begins with a friendly “Medley” of older vocal tunes and continues with the crowd-participation “Lies” and two acoustic-driven pieces that define his dual approach to instrumental music: the tender acoustic ballad “Song For Elizabeth” and the lively jam “Wake Up.” It concludes with an unexpected instrumental version of his most enduring hit, “Sarah Sarah.” Live In South Africa works on many emotional and political levels for the artist, but for the fan, it’s an irresistible document of one of pop music’s truly great performers.

- Jonathan Widran