King David - Revived and Restored Album Review

So as the whole of Zimbabwe knows by now that King David was once the Jiti trailblazer when he was still being referred to as Baba Harare. He made the switch from secular music to gospel in a move that took many by surprise, given the success he was having in the Jiti genre, he basically revived the genre and for reasons known to him he decided it was no longer the path for him. Many are definitely keeping an eye on him, some rooting for him to succeed and some waiting for him to return to Jiti, time will tell what happens in the future. Currently he is like the poster boy of repentance in Zimbabwe.

Currently King David is on a mission to transfer the success he got in Jiti to his new sound in a genre which has its only different rules, politics and biases, its a tall order for the guy. Good thing is he seems to be ready for the fight, only question remaining was which style of gospel was he going to pursue, is it going to be the style we see from the likes of Minister Mahendere, Minister Cherayi or a sound like Janet Manyowa's or one like Dorcas Moyo or Tembalami or Fungisayi or Mathias Mhere or Baba & Amai Charamba or a mixture of all sounds or maybe he will just use his jiti style but with gospel lyrics???!!!. 

Did not get time to listen and review his first gospel project but have managed to listen to this new offering from the guy and will be sharing with you my thoughts on the project.

1. Kwaziwai Mose

The first track is King David greeting everyone in the name of Jesus. He is sharing the joy and love that is found in the Lord. This is gospel on a Jiti tip, the production and structure all follow the Jiti sound.

2. Level RaJosefa

On this track he is asking to be blessed with emotional strength, favour, grace and wisdom similar to the mighty men in the Bible such as Joseph, David, Solomon.  

3. 24/7 (ft Tanto Wavie)

This collaboration caught my eye the most, the two have different styles but I have to say the collaboration worked very well. I have a lot of respect for Tanto Wavie for his boldness in pushing his own sound and he is one talented producer and he did a superb job on this track, both in production and on the vocals. King David delivered a good performance on this track. This is a lovely Jam, the Tanto magic makes this one special. On this track they are exalting the Lord for he is holy, he is holy all the ties 24/7 he remains holy. Worship music without the usual emotionally manipulative instrumental arrangement. 

4. Ngatipembere (ft Dorcas Moyo)

On this track King David is saying lets celebrate for the Lord has visited our lives and families today. This is a song you sing when finally after waiting for your time it finally arrives. The production is done very well, King David and Dorcas Moyo complimented each other very well. 

5. Shame On You (ft Kudzi Nyakudya)

King David went deep on this track where he is singing against the bad behaviors many Christians do yet they purport to be following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. A Christian should be exemplary in the way they live their life. This is a theme that will rub some the wrong way given the scandals we hear daily which include men of cloth, but it had to be said because the reputation of the church is being tarnished. Given King David mentioned that one reason that he was changing his life is he is now ashamed of the life he used to live so such a track was incoming.

6. Muri Mutsvene (ft Blessing Shumba)

He teams up with Pastor Blessing Shumba on this track where they are praising the Lord for sending Jesus Christ to deliver the people from Evil, to bring salvation unto the people. The production is good, they went for that signature Blessing Shumba style on this one. 

7. Hatirwe Nenyama (ft Zimpraise)

The Bible states that the big fight is not physical but spiritual so King David teams up with Zimpraise to reassure believers that the fight is in the spirit. God is spirit so one needs him in his life to win the many fights they are facing. 

8. Ndinofara (ft Minister Michael Mahendere)

King David teams up with the amazing Minister Mahendere on this track that about repentance and finding joy in accepting Jesus as one's Lord and savior. The artists are grateful for being given another chance in life. The track is produced well, the arrangement has many elements from his Prove Them Wrong album. The visuals are good and love how he is making use of his signature dance, making it appropriate for this new sound. 

9. Dai Majekesa (ft Sax Guru)

Love the retro style they went for on the visuals for this track, it will definitely remind you of gospel videos from the 90's and early 2000's. On the track he is saying I want to walk on the right path Lord, please light your light on my path so I will not walk in the dark. The production is good, love the Mbaqanqa style they went for. 

10. Ndinoshamiswa Kwazvo

As he closes off the album he delivers his own rendition of the iconic hymn. Every gospel artists has sang this song at some time, they may have not recorded it but they definitely know how to sing it. Its hymn that exalts the most High for how wonderful he is, his love, his grace in your life. The rendition is okay, it has some Mapostori vibe in it. Not the best rendition but he tried. 

So ya that's it for King David's second album Revived and Restored and its an interesting album to listen to. I have to say I have been impressed with King David, there is a level of sincerity that you feel from him as you listen, there is a level or rawness in his sound which is refreshing. 

The major question  heading into this project as you would have picked from the intro was in terms of sound, which direction was he going to take. Having listened to the project I will say its a mix of styles; you get to hear his old Jiti style, we hear his Prove Them Wrong sound on most tracks and on other tracks its a mix of other established sounds (Blessing Shumba sound or Mbaqanga...etc). He played it safe and I would have expected that, the Gospel industry is already saturated with certain sounds, people don't really like change so he had to experiment less. I am however disappointed that we did not get to hear much of guitar work from King David, he has proven over the years that he is a solid guitar player, hope he finds away to make use of that as he settles and finds his sound in the genre.

On the vocals its still what we had come to expect from his Baba Harare days, especially from the days of Zimbabwean Giant album. He continues adding the comic touch to his lyrics and also some of the vocal arrangement take you to his Jiti days. His choice of wording is not the usual many expect from Gospel, to some its too blunt and that adds a surprising angle to his sound. 

On themes you can feel King David is mostly pushing for transformation in his life, he is still getting used to his new life so that is to be expected. What I respect is he is praising and worshiping in his own way and not a church specific way, different churches have different ways/styles of singing and it does not seem King David is being influenced by that. Downside of that is that the majority of a gospel artists fanbase is from fellow church members or those who like the church the artist is affiliated with and also when it comes to availing platforms for shows/concerts churches tend to prefer those that attend their church, so King David is going to have to find a way to navigate that mess/politics if he is succeed. 

In conclusion this is a respectable project from King David, but he still has some way to go tp be mentioned among the big names in gospel music, he has to continue learning the fundamentals of gospel music. Just like how one needs to learn how the fans and dynamics work in order to succeed in making a good Jiiti/Dancehall/Jazz/Sungura song, King David will need to put in the needed work. He should work like a newcomer in the music industry, learn, experiment till he finds his space in Gospel space otherwise he will get frustrated.

My Overall rating: 6.8/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on the album.

Proud_Zimbo