Proud Zimbo [Anhu Acho]

Mr Prayersoul finally opened his 2016 account with the track Completely . He released this track a couple of months back and during the time it has been out, the track has managed to enter the charts on the various urban radio stations. Prayersoul is one of the best if not the best neo-soul artist in the country, loved his debut self titled album Prayersoul. Since then have been a big fan of the guy and he has over time proven to be a quite a gem, great vocalist, great performer and a polished brand image that can match the best out there. He has now released the visuals of his latest track Completely courtesy of African Fire Jewelry, the same guys who are behind Bryan Kadengu's Heavy Machine  visuals. So I immediately jumped to YouTube to see what Mr Prayersoul has made for us. The track is sounding very good, the guitar work is sublime. The instrumental arrangement is done very well. Overall production of the track is also done very well, the vocals and instrumental comp...

This track was released as part of  Kenako Hybrid The Compilation package, a couple of weeks back. The compilation contained a number of tracks but this track caught my attention and decided to do a review of the track.  ExQ featured his partner in crime Roki and the high flying rapper Takura on this one. Lets see how it fares?? The track was produced by DJ Tamuka and he did a commendable job. The instrumental borrows heavily from AKA's All Eyes On Me  (which heavy sampled Brenda Fassie's Ngiyakusaba ) and Baddest . The synth progression is taken from All Eyes On Me and the kick pattern is taken from Baddest . Sampling is the in thing right now and when done well its not really a bad thing !!, on this track Dj Tamuka did a good job. The overall production of the track is done very well. Killoz is an intimate love jam, ExQ is saying he misses and is craving for his other half so when they meet later in the day he is promising that they gonna lose some Killoz ...

ExQ is said to be in the process of making a new album and judging by how good his 2015 Putiti album was ( Putiti Album Review ), I will be very  much looking forward to the new album if it's coming. Putiti contained some amazing jams like Mamoyo , Pore Pore , The Way , Alleluya , Bhachura , I Love You ...etc. He has now released a new jam, probably a single from the upcoming album and he featured high riding HKD Boss Freeman. From the form of the two artists this promises to be a very strong track, lets see if it matches the expectations??!! The track is on a afro beat tip and the production was in the good hands of DJ Tamuka. No-one does Afro Beats better than Dj Tamuka at the moment in the whole of Zimbabwe, the guy just owns the genre. He did a very good job on the production of this one. The arrangement is on point. The bass line is sounding good. The track has a lot of dancehall elements and the resulting fusion is sounding very good. In overall production of the tra...

I'm always on the lookout for the unknown, less popular and new artists, personally I believe outside the mainstream or popular realm there are other artists who are as equally if not more talented when compared to those who were fortunate enough to become media darlings. Over the years have came across artists such as Mokoomba, Tamy, Prayersoul & Bryan Kadengu who have changed the way I listen and search for local music. That's when I realised that its not all about the popular artists, and in many cases also talking from experience, these are the artists that create timeless music, music that lasts unlike those who just aim at maintaining their status as the best so they end up singing anything and everything. After some time of seeing Tarimari's sponsored post on my timeline I finally gave in and took a listen to the tracks she posted on her Soundcloud profile. First played Gomo Remafaro and it took my attention, next played the track Kure and ya I was smitt...

Tocky is one of the best examples of how one can fall from the top to the bottom. He ruled the airwaves and shows in 2014 but then one mistimed move/Album changed everything for him. He changed from being a staple at every respected show to being bot booked to any show. He has however kept the hope that one day he will return to the top. He has now created a new sound, which is not specifically the Zim Dancehall that made him a household name. The new sound to be honest does not do it for me at all, some may love that kind of vibe but to me its a big no no. He has now released another album and against all my gut feelings and perceptions I got my copy and listened to the album. I'm now ready to give you my views and thoughts on the album, so lets get to it. The album contains 15 tracks and below is a track by track review of the album: 1. Maihwe (Prod by Lyton) The track ushers you into the new sound Tocky is creating. I'm not that big a fan on his new sound but i...

EDM has not been that evident on the local scene so far. A few tracks by Verseless was keeping the genre alive, Zyon Black has been quiet so far, same with Dj Jason Leroux and Rob Macson. Rob Macson has now released a new track featuring Gemma Griffiths. So for those EDM fans lets see how it fares?? Rob was behind the production and I have to say he did a superb job. He has improved a lot in this past year, his past music did not move me much but this new jam had me bumping my head in no time. The drop is balanced and groovy, you can't help but bump your head to the beat. The arrangement of the track is standard, similar to that used by most tracks in the genre. This is  an instrumental I can see myself enjoying for some time to come. Gemma was in charge of the vocals and she put in a very good performance. Her vocals complemented the beat very well. The vocals are structured in a standard way and the chorus is quite catchy. Solid track. Buy Your Copy:  Run With...

Everyone has that one not so super popular artist that they love to bits, you follow their every track and move. For me Nesto is such an artist. He has this superb flavour and style that no other artists in Zim possesses. The way he sings, his choice of words are only unique to him and his instrumentals are also on point. The last track he released, Ngala Ngala was a favourite of mine, I played the track countless times and still love it to this day. Now when I heard he released a new jam I was on it immediately. Listened to it a lot of times and thought of sharing the track with my fellow Zimbos. The track was produced at Kenako Studios by Dj Tamuka. I have to say Dj Tamuka is the best at making Afro Beats in the country, all the best afro beat tracks are a product of his magic hands. On this track he was on point in terms of  production. I'm loving the instrumental, its sounding very good. There is some lovely keyboard work and the bass line is on point. The marimba sou...

Have talked and raved about this jam for months now, its a brilliant jam. It is receiving a lot of love from Zimbo all over and it truly deserves the love.  Now the visuals have finally arrived and they are also looking as fantastic as the track. Love the rocky beach setting, its a beautiful view. The shot angles are also on point, the overhead shots, close ups were all done very well. The directing in overall is done very well. Great work by 8 Track Media. Now aside from all that the track is about zi Heavy Machine, thats what I wanted to see!!! I'm happy to say they indeed chose zi Heavy Machine. The lady is as 100% African, natural hair, dark skinned, no unnecessary make up, just naturally beautiful and yaaa she got them heavy assets, just like the African Woman. Many artists on the continental chose the light skinned European/American look alikes at the expense of our beautiful African ladies and its great to see our ladies being celebrated and flaunted to the world i...

Winky D is about to release his album for this year and as expected the buzz and hype is getting louder and louder. Last year in October he released the Gafa Life Kickstape which was a massive success and was  "the" album for the festive season. The Gafa Life Kickstape took all the attention from Killer T's superb Mangoma Ndaimba album which had been the top dancehall album for the first 3 three quarters of 2016. This year Freeman's Mangoma Ihobho has been dominating the dancefloor scene since the beginning of the year and the major question is will Winky D's new album snatch the throne from Freeman (most probably) . Unlike last year Winky decided on releasing a lead single first before the album arrives and on the lead single he featured a living legend Oliver "Samanyanga Tuku" Mtukudzi. The collaboration has indeed caused massive speculation, two greats on one track!!! lets see how it fares. Oskid was behind the production and he did a superb...

Ti Gonzi made his case with the mega jam  Zvenyu , which is arguably the best hip hop track of the past 2 years. He won many Zimbos over with his socially conscious and relate-able lyrics. He brought a fresh style and sound to the hip hop genre. His music is not about flashy stuff or other swag topics/themes like most of the tracks in local hip hop and that's his winning formula. Ti Gonzi is working on an album titled Hipu Hopu YekuGhetto and this is probably the first single from the upcoming album. This will give us a glimpse of what to expect. The track was produced at Kenako Studios by Dj Tamuka. He did a fantastic job, the instrumental is sounding awesome. Love the bass-line on this jam. The overall production is done very well, the vocals are sounding very audible and balanced. Great work by Kenako Guys. Ende Makaoma is a track that is addressing the negative/hypocritical/bad things that people do on a daily basis. People are now full of hate, envy and deceit and ...

Bryan Kadengu is one artist many Zimbos must know of. His 2015 Album Nyaya Dzerudo is a must have album. Many Zimbos got to know about him because of his current hit jam Heavy Machine . The track is on an afro house tip and its a celebration of African Women. He has now released the acoustic version of Heavy Machine and its sounding like heaven. I became a fan of Bryan mostly because of his beautiful afro-soul vibe and was a bit afraid he was gonna leave it all for a house kind of vibe due to the success of Heavy Machine. So hearing him get back to the guitar and serenading Zimbos away, my heart smiled. He is not leaving Afro-Soul anytime soon it seems. On this acoustic version he showcased his superb vocals and guitar skills. If you loved the original, you are definitely gonna love this one. If you did not know about him till now, this is a perfect introduction. Love the "ka juice kana kazuda" whisper background behind the chorus. This is one Beautiful ja...

The Tazoita Cash boss Stunner has released his 7th Album. Stunner is an icon in the music business, he has been in the game for years. He has gifted us with hits such as, Hameno , Rudo Rwemari , Song Yangu , Team Hombe , Godo , Pain Killer , Warriors ..etc. He has been in the game for years now and he is the most recognizable brand in local Hip Hop like it or not. The only rapper to have two songs voted as song of the year, Team Hombe & Godo . His biggest track to date Godo was top of the charts for 6 months straight, a feat only very few tracks in Zimbabwe can compete with ( Leonard Mapfumo - Maidei, Trevor Dongo - Ndashamisika....the only two from e top of my head nw ). Stunner has not managed to reach the same heights since Godo in 2012, but he has managed to remain a very formidable brand. His pull and reach is second to none. Now he has released a new album, to be honest this was not a high;y anticipated album. Stunner however has a great talent to create monster hits from ...

The month of august is done and dusted meaning its time for my top 5 tracks of the month. Last month the top track was Orlando by Jam Signal. For the month of august I managed to do a review of 10 tracks namely: Dereck Mpofu & Cynthia Mare - Dzoka Kumba , Tehn Diamond - Lead The Way , Trevor Dongo - Shoko Rerudo , Afrodizzay ft Simba Tagz - Party Start Now , Toga ft Chioneso - Eddymore , Gary Tight and Willom Tight - Tight Tune , Nutty O - I Will Never , Kunta Family (Tony Fresh, Slizzy Aj & Chiphsip) - Kare Haagare Ari Kare , Jah Prayzah ft Diamond Platnumz - Watora Mari & Tehn Diamond - 2062 . Special Mention goes to  Jah Prayzah ft Diamond Platnumz - Watora Mari   which has managed to reach 1 million views in less than 3 weeks, a record for local music. The track has however failed to enter the top 5. The top 5 goes as follows: 5. Gary Tight ft Willom Tight - Tight Tune Gary Tight is everywhere right now, afro jazz, traditional, now a...