Proud Zimbo [Anhu Acho]

Until a couple of years back sungura was the biggest genre in Zimbabwe. Over the years a lot of brilliant sungura albums have been released and today will be giving you 5 awesome albums from the dethroned genre. This does not mean that the 5 albums mentioned are the best 5, they are however among the best. Cannot cover all the albums at once so will just be giving you 5 at a time. So without much talking lets get down to it: Leonard Dembo - Chitekete EP This album is just superb. Growing up was not much of a Dembo fan but as a grew older I started appreciating his music and realized why many regard him as finest ever musician. The title track Chitekete is one timeless classic, loved by people of all generations. It is regarded as the best ever single to be made in Zim, it was so big that it was played at the Miss World finals in 1996, the only Zim song to achieve such a feat. Also the album sold over 100 000 copies in its first three months. The EP contains 5 fa...

Zim Artists have upped their visuals game. Have been very impressed by the various videos I have been seeing lately. Finally the artists are willing to spend a bit more, be more innovative and the results are some entertaining visuals. Tytan & Ammara Brown - Mukoko , Janet Manyowa ft Minister Mahendere - Kune Muponesi  , Takura - Zino Irema , Hope Masike - Ndinewe  , Noble Stylz ft Quonfuzed - Kusvika Rinyure   just to mention a few. Simba Tagz has released the visuals for his 2015 jam No Pressure and as usual was anxious to see if visuals were up to par with the other offerings on the local scene. Tagz's record label Showtime Records Africa are the makers of the visuals and Tagz himself was in charge of the directing and Chris Shoca was the chief editor. The video is quite entertaining, the directing is well done. Love the setting especially when he is on the vast grass field, its beautiful. The wide area shot was a brilliant idea on such a setting ,it makes t...

Cindy has been quiet for a long time, glad she is finally back. She is one of the most respected female artists in Zim, she has proven herself for years and there is no doubt about her abilities. She has made a great name for herself but recently us the fans were left wanting and hoping she would drop something new. Parere Moyo was her last hit track, it earned her the accolade for best Female Artist; Southern Africa at the Afrimma's. end of 2014. Finally she has returned with a new jam, to make it better she did not just release the track, it came with the visuals. So let's see if she still has that super touch!?!? The instrumental is on an afrobeat house tip. The beginning of the track reminds me of Mampi's Walilowelela . The instrumental is sounding nice and will be favourite for many on the dancefloor. The overall production is standard, everything is sounding as it should Sometimes in life we fall for someone who at that time has no idea of how we feel and d...

Randomly browsing soundcloud and reverb-nation has helped me come across some superb tracks from the local scene that I would have not heard elsewhere. So this morning I came across this track by Josh featuring Way Too Nice artist Elli-ot. Listened to the track because of Elli-ot, he has showed a lot of promise on the few tracks by him I have listened to.  The track was produced by Russo and he did a great job. The is a feel good track and the instrumental shows that. Russo is not that known for his keyboard skills but on this track he did surprisingly well. The overall production of the track is standard. Great work on the production. The track is about feeling happy. Its about those times where you're feeling grateful and feel like dancing. Life is a precious gift and it needs to be celebrated. Ups and downs are inevitable, but life remains a priceless gift hence we must thank the Lord for such a gift and enjoy it.  The vocal performances were on point, they di...

Zim Jam Signal is back with a new track. Loved their last offering Stuck In My Head . Since they switched to an afro pop fusion type of music the group has seen some serious growth. Their last two tracks, Jikina and Stuck in My Head have managed to receive a commendable amount of airplay on all urban radio stations and also managed to enter the weekly charts on those radio stations. Each and every track they release will go a long way in solidifying the brand they are making so was anxious what route they will take with the new track. Managed to listen to the jam a couple of times over the few days it has been released and now am able to give an informed review. Jam Signal are pushing for an afro fusion type of vibe and sound that is as appealing to Zimbos as it is to those all around Africa. The instrumental on this track is well made and sounding pretty good. The track is a fusion between house and afro beat, its more like Wizkid's new sound ( Show You The Money, Soweto...

Published the part one a couple of weeks back. Ten tracks don't really do justice to my childhood so today will be giving you another 10 tracks. So lets get down to it: 1) Slice - So Ndiani/Wandinoda These guys were the original masalad.  This song was a hit among the young when it came out. Its also a great love jam. Loved this jam. 2) Decibel - Chido Dangerous Baranzi as he was affectionately know by his fans was on top of his game when this track came out. Its a timeless classic and it was a monster hit when it came out. Easy to sing along lyrics, a superb instrumental this is a superb song and it had me singing along every time it played. 3) R&K African Sounds - Raramo (Tina) Who in Zimbabwe does not know this track...well those 21 years and above. The intro on this jam is just out of this world. Many people my age may not be sungura fans but this track is one of the very few exceptions. 4) Mc Villa - Unodzoka Here  This jam was a dedicatio...

Personally I believe Zim Hip Hop needs new players because the current generation have done their best and although they are still brilliant they cannot take local hip hip to a level beyond the one it is now. Just like what happens in Zim Dancehall after every 4-5yrs new players come and push the genre to a new level, such a succession or level of competition and innovation is required in local hip hop scene for the genre to grow. Hence the entrance of players like T Gonz, Takura..etc is very vital and even the masses seem to be appreciating the new guys. Takura is riding high on the success of Zino Irema and following up to such a banger is a tough job. However it was inevitable and a follow up track was needed. So when he released MaObama , I was quite anxious to see how it will fare!!??. The production was again entrusted to C.O.G, the one who produced Zino Irema . . Hip hop is changing and as much as I don't actually prefer trap beats they are the in thing and are ever...

Reverb 7 is having a superb 2016, with tracks such as Heavy Machine , Huya , Million , and Beautiful Faces  are getting a lot of love from Zimbabweans all over. Zim House is slowly but surely making a stand for itself with guys like Reverb 7, St Emmo, Squash, Dj Stavo, Skaiva...etc. Personally am a big house fan so i'm keeping an eye on all the developments regardless of the size. So enough of the history, how did the Showtime duo fare on Pindirai ?? Both these guys are established producers and I believe they both had a hand in the production with Reverb 7 having the larger job, house music is his home turf. The instrumental is sounding good. Its standard. The layout or structure reminds me of South Africa's superstar Heavy K's tracks. The production is on point though, every instrument is sounding as it should and its balanced. Great work. Zimbabwe is predominantly christian or religious and because of that a lot of music be it, jazz, sungura, dancehall have...

Courtney Antipas has earned my respect over the years, his resilience on spreading the good word is inspiring. A lot of guys are jumping ship but he remains steadfast and keeps delivering some awesome inspiring tracks. So was glad when he released a new track, downloaded my copy and gave myself time to listen to the jam. So for those waiting to see how the track fares lets get to it! Bang was produced by Tone Jonez. He did a superb job on the jam. I'm loving the instrumental to bits. Its refreshing, the bass line is awesome and you will be nodding your head before the end of the chorus. It is laid back and invokes a calm nice feeling within you. The overall production of the track is standard. Great work. Bang is all about spreading and encouraging good attitudes, habits and cultures. Its all about preaching "life and love" as Courtney plainly puts its in the chorus. Being good is uplifting, it's refreshing and fulfilling when you live a life full of lov...

Every now and then there are tracks and albums that get completely overlooked by the majority but which are of the utmost quality and showcase some exceptional talent. Last year came across Nyaya Dzerudo by Bryan Kadengu, the album is just fantastic, the few who have managed to listen to the album will testify to its mastery, ( Nyaya Dzerudo Album Review ). Listening to the radio a couple of months heard a beautiful track titled Sango by a talented unknown Zimbo. Heard the track a couple of times and fell in love with the amazing jam. I remember tuning on to radio from 9-12 am every day for weeks hoping to catch the name of the artists,( did the same for Bryan K last year ). Finally got to catch her name, Tammy. Searched and searched  for her and her tracks to no avail. Months down, heard another superb jam from her Ndibereke on radio and immediately intensified my search. Finally came across her profiles and album...my prayers had been answered and it is definitely w...

My dear country has been facing economic meltdown for years now, after the dollarization in 2009 we all thought it was going to be better but that was just a dream. What followed was a period of mass corruption which led to further deterioration of the economy. The majority of Zimbos have been crying to those in power for answers and holding on to the hope that they will act and make decisions and actions that will lead to a better Zimbabwe. An unexpected ray on light, a leader in the form of Pastor Evans Mawarire emerged from oblivion and renewed the hope that we as Zimbabweans can unite and make our country great again. He has been rallying up Zimbabweans to unite for a better Zimbabwe and not be content with a life of struggle, yekukiya kiya, living from month to month but to unite and make a country and future which our children and grandchildren will enjoy. During this movement there has been many calls for our local artists to join in an use their influence for the g...

Time is moving so fast, we are already half way through the year. This means that we have eclipsed the 2nd quarter of 2016 and its time for my top 5 songs for that quarter. On the first quarter the top track was Tytan ft Ammara Brown - Mukoko followed by Alexio Kawara - Nehana ( Proud Zimbo's Best Songs For First Quarter 2016. ) The criteria is still the same; only tracks that have featured on my monthly top charts will be considered on this list. The three top tracks of the months in this quarter will automatically qualify and two others will be selected from those that featured but did not top the chart. So without wasting time lets dive into it: 5. Gze - Imhandu 4. Takura - Zino Irema 3.  Kazz ft Cal_Vin, Q-Riggha & Jungle Bwoy - Thinking Of You Remix 2. Prophecy ft Kuda Chamisa & Baba Tencen - Kumusha 1. Bryan K - Heavy Machine So ya those are my top 5 tracks for the second quarter of 2016. If you do not agree with the list feel fre...

June is my birth month so its a special, was expecting a lot of releases in this month but it did not reach the levels I hoped for. However a number of tracks were released and as we reach the end of the month its now time for the best tracks for that month.  Prophecy ft Kuda Chamisa & Baba Tencen with the superb track Kumusha was the top track for May. In the month of June I managed to do a review of exactly 5 tracks, so each track will feature. So here we go: 5.   Reverb 7 ft Fungai Nengare & NDNM - Beautiful Faces 4.   Lincoln The Prez - Hande 3.   Kevin Munetsi - Love 101 2.   Hope Masike - Kwira Gomo 1.   Bryan K - Heavy Machine Bryan experimented with a new sound on this jam and it worked. Was not sure as to how about the new jam but he won me over in the past weeks. Reverb 7 did a great job on the production and Bryan was awesome on the vocals. This is a solid jam. So ya that's my t...