Oh, the irony - it's time for the next part of:
The Swish Guide to South African Music - Part 9
"Fallen Angel" by Lesley Rae Dowling - 1982 [download the mp3]
"Will I Ever Get Over You?" by Lesley Rae Dowling - 1995 [download the mp3]

Lesley Rae Dowling has A Voice - a voice you will either love or hate. Deep, soulful, smoky, hurt, raw, painful, mellow, earthy, husky or downright annoying, her voice is something of an acquired taste. Like a well-aged red wine, which is appropriate, really, as she's married to a wine farmer and they live on a farm in beautiful Stellenbosch.

Lesley is beautiful, too, with her celtic looks: delicate features, porcelain skin, luminous blue eyes, and wild raven mane.

I've uploaded two songs - "Will I Ever Get Over You?", an eight-minute epic from her 1994 album "Unbounded Waters" and her cover of a Yancey song, "Fallen Angel".

I sit here in my room alone
in my dressing gown
Sunday morning comes along
With its old familiar sounds
Church bells call us all to pray
Have I gone too far this way?

Fallen angel, fallen angel
Fallen angel in the night
I can't fly home

Somehow all this morning light
shines heavy on my head
I so proud to be the girl
with the trick to turn your head and all
Mama begged "don't fall to shame,
"Oh baby, you're gonna lose your name."

Fallen angel, fallen angel
Fallen angel in the night
I can't fly home

I tried so hard for oh so long
to wear a starry crown
Ah, but when an angel falls,
she falls a long way down
Down

Mama's gone, now I'm alone
It was a man or two ago,
Ah, who knows
Sure enough these tired wings
Have almost lost their glow
Shining mirror keep me shining
I'm too far down the road for trying

Angel, fallen angel
Fallen angel in the night

I can't fly home

Read more about Lesley Rae Dowling

Let me know what you think of this. Buy South African CDs online at oneworld.co.za.