Allan Chimbetu - Urgent Matter Album Review

 Many Dendera fans were complaining about the Dendera royal family the Chimbetus on letting them down when it comes to new music. I'm definitely one of those fans. It has been long without a new full length project from the Chimbetu family. 

Allan the brother to legend Simon Chimbetu decided to change that as he dropped his Urgent Matter Album, his full length album in quite some time. Have got myself a copy of the album and today will be sharing with you my views and thoughts on the album. 

So since I also got to know Sulumani Chimbetu was gonna release his album I waited to do the reviews side by side to see who delivered the better dendera project.

 

As usual will be doing a track by track review. 

1 Hello (feat Desolo B) 

This is Sungura mixed with rhumba, Sungura Rhumba you might call it. The first half of the track feels like a pure rhumba jam, it's only when the tempo is raised towards the end that one gets the Dendera elements. The track is about reassuring your partner that she is accepted but 

2 Mudzimai Wangu

This also follows the Sungura rhumba sound of the previous track. On this track Allan is praising his wife, how she is orderly and takes good care of her. Production is good, arrangement is okay and on the first part it  feels like Rhumba mixed with Dendera. 

3 Urgent Matter

The title track of the album is Allan asking the Lord to be with him in all he does as there are those who plot evil against him. Track is produced well, its uptempo and the arrangement is okay. 

4 Nhodzerai (feat Sulumani Chimbetu)

This is a team up many wanted to see for some time and it's quite a solid collaboration. It talks the importance of supporting others because when tragedy befalls you you will need support also. The production is done well, love the arrangement. 

5 Rwendo

This here is Dendera at its finest, everything about this track from the vocals, layout of vocals and arrangement of instruments is spot on. The theme is also spot on, he is saying the journey of Zim started way back, the baton stick is passed on to each generation to push the nation to greater heights than before. My favourite track on this whole project. 

6 Kombe

This track has Chauta vibes all over it,  am a fan of the arrangement of the track. Allan also sings in Chewa which also adds to that Chauta vibe. Production is done well, the arrangement is good. 

7 Nyasha Dzinesu (feat Mathias Mhere)

Professor teamed up with popular Gospel artist Mathias Mhere for this track where they are asking the Lord to add more grace upon their lives. The arrangement is made in a way that it fits both artists, you hear the Dendera elements but not as prominent as I would like. Mathias Mhere on the vocals overpowered Allan, his distinct vocals were more prominent. 

8 Sorry

Allan on this track is highlighting the importance of knowing where one comes from, you must know your lineage. On the track he is taking the role of a son who has finally his father and is asking about their lineage. The father is then saying sorry to the son, he had left for SA and did not return. The production is well done, the arrangement is also well done. Allan was also on par on the vocals. 

9 Tiverengane 

This was the leading single released as we headed onto the launch and it did give fans a glimpse of what to expect. On the track Allan was strengthening those that had a tough year that they should try again next year. Layout is well done, Trust did the things on the track. 

10 Ndisina Mari

On  this track Allan is talking about how the family should support each other even when the finances are not at the desired levels. Allan is asking his wife to understand him as he gets up every day to work for the family. 

Stream the album: Urgent Matter

So ya that's it for Allan's Urgent Matter album, its a commendable project. Allan did a respectable job on the project, have enjoyed listening to a number of tracks, however was expecting a lot of pure Dendera jams which unfortunately was not the case. 

The production is done well. In terms of arrangements Allan was more adventurous than I expected. The arrangements were mostly solid and sound good save a few (Hello, Mudzimai Wangu & Nyasha Dzinesu) on which I feel the Dendera got a bit too diluted. Given he was part of the golden Dendera age expected pure Dendera as in those golden ages, he showed glimpses of that on tracks such as Rwendo, Sorry and Kombe. On Hello you will have to listen very attentively to even pick the Dendera elements. 

Teaming up with Mokoomba's Trustworth 

Samende was a superb move, Trust in my opinion is the best guitarist we have in the country as of now and he did a solid job on this project. 

Vocally Allan was good, he was commendable throughout. The featured artists all stayed true to their styles and performed well, my favourite collaboration is Nhodzerai feat Sulu. One other thing that in a way acts against Allan is that despite him being in the industry for long is he does not possess much of that irresistible charisma and unique character that Chopper had or which Sulu  has, that intangible aspect which makes people instantly fall in love with you, that aspect that makes your singing style immediately stand out. 

On themes the album mainly talks about love and relationships, he also tackled social issues issues such as knowing where one came from on Sorry, the journey of Zimbabwe and how we all have a part to play on Rwendo, how we should support each other in difficult times on Nhodzerai. Have no complaints about the themes, they are okay. 

In conclusion this is a good attempt by Allan Chimbetu, we were starved of Dendera and he delivered some solid and good tracks such as; Rwendo (my favourite), Kombe, Ndisina Mari, Sorry, Nhodzerai & Tiverengane. However would have preferred he did not dilute the Dendera as he did on a number of tracks, they affected the mood for me. Was reviewing this project alongside Sulu's Entanglement and have to say this one is a good listen but it falls short when compared to Entanglement. Despite that the project has its charms is quite a good listen. If you had missed Dendera you will have something to quench the thirst with. 

My overall rating: 6. 25/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on the album!!? 

Proud_Zimbo