When the youth drama 'Yizo Yizo' first hit South African TV screens in 1999, both praise and outrage came in equal measure. From newspaper columns to debates in parliament, it provoked heated discussion as to whether its no-holds-barred depictions of violence and sex were educational or inflammatory. Unapologetically, series director and creator, Tebogo Mahlatsi, merely said that as the name implies, what they’re showing was simply "yizo yizo" — "the way it is".

The third and final series of the acclaimed programme is matched by this third soundtrack release, with a fine collection of tracks drawn from the series. The album resonates more with hope, happiness and ambition than the anger and violence that caused such a stir, and the 17 diverse tracks cover everything from kwaito and hip-hop to spoken word and African soul.

The absolute stand-out track on the album is the eponymous song by none other than Brenda Fassie. Far removed from her trademark upbeat tunes, the ‘Queen of Pop’ has turned ‘Yizo Yizo’ into a hauntingly heartfelt plea for success, happiness and above all, love. Real love.

While this review was being written, Fassie lay fighting for her life in a Gauteng hospital; an ironic mirror of many of the issues reflected on screen and on the CD. Having fought her demons along the way she has made it to the pinnacle of pop stardom in South Africa, and the nation anxiously waits to hear if she will pull through.

Other noteworthy tracks on the album are the laid back ‘Sho’ sgebengu’ by Slovaz which has the laid back feel of a few mates (pantsulas perhaps?) chatting over drinks on a sunny afternoon, and the wonderfully soulful ‘Ilitya – Yizo Theme’ by Simphiwe Dana. Think Miriam Makeba a good few decades ago and you get an idea of the sultry power and emotion in Dana’s stunning voice. Kwaito hard-man Mandoza also makes an appearance with the angry, but honest ‘Respect Life’.

A curious inclusion is 70-year-old Nigerian musician Fatai Rolling Dollar, whose decidedly ‘world music’ track ‘Ori wa a Dara’ is an interesting departure from the rest of the album, but greatly enjoyable nonetheless.

With a well-chosen collection of tracks drawn from a wide variety of genres, the soundtrack to 'Yizo Yizo 3' is as much a reflection of the realities on the streets as the program itself. In the same way that the 'Yizo Yizo' on our TV screens is a mirror of what is happening out there in the schools and shebeens, the soundtrack to YY3 is an excellent indication of what's being listened to on the streets of South Africa: as the title suggests… the way it is.