Album Review: Jah Prayzah - Mudhara Vachauya

The most anticipated album for 2016 is now out. Jah Prayzah is undoubtedly the biggest artist in Zimbabwe right now, he is already bordering being labelled a music legend at just 29 years of age!!!!!!. He released his much anticipated album Mudhara Vachauya on the 12th of August. A lot of of work from his management team and financial muscle from sponsors was put into place to ensure the launch was the biggest and best in the country and it did set the standard. Now the major issue is how will the album fare?? how will is compare to the brilliant Jerusarema from last year?? Alick Macheso released Tsoka Dzerwendo earlier in the year and more like Jah Prayzah's album the management and sponsors also dug deep to make it a success but now more than 3 months later the album is faltering and falling from a lot of playlists, fans are reverting back to his previous albums. So how does Mudhara Vachauya fare??

The album contains 11 and below is a track by track review of the album:

1. Mudhara Vachauya

The ambient intro sets the right conditions for Jah's strong and powerful vocals to usher you into the track. The strong vocal performance is followed by an uptempo instrumental which is sounding quite good. Oskid did a great job on the production. Jah delivered a strong vocal performance on this track, the backing vocalists were also awesome. Jah has a talent at making catchy choruses and the chorus here is as catchy as they can be. The song ends with an acapella and that's arguably the best part of the track, Jah Prayzah's voice is one of the voices you can listen to all day.

2. Hossana

The start of this jam gets you hooked, the saxophone and guitar work is awesome. It an uptempo track with a superb instrumental. The vocal performance is solid both from Jah and the backing vocalists. The way the vocals are structured is made to get people singing along, this is a track you will find yourself singing subconsciously. Everything about this track is made and arranged in a way that the track sticks inside your head, its catchy. The saxophone coupled with the lovely guitar work creates this lovely feeling which i'm enjoying. On top of the lovely instrumental the theme of the track is a prayer of a number of Zimbos at the current moment. We all need blessings and grace in order to make it, especially in this economy where there are many challenges. Solid Track.

3. Watora Mari ft Diamond Platnumz

The lead single from the album. Jah is aiming to breaking onto the continental music scene hence the change of sound here, to help him he engaged popular Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz. The end result is a song that is sounding like Diamond Platnumz's Number One featuring Davido. One cannot escape the fact that this is more of Diamond's sounds than Jah Prayzah. Regardless the instrumental is sounding okay, it nowhere near the best of afro beats but its not bad either. The vocals are structured in a superb way, the two heavyweights blended very well. They both gave great performances. To make it more better the track came with some fantastic visuals, personally I believe if it was not for the visuals this track would have not generated the buzz it did.

4. Tsotsi

From the onset this track reminds me of the yesteryear before Jerusarema Jah Prayzah. Tsotsi sounds like it came from his Gochi Gochi days. The instrumental sounds familiar to his other past tracks. In terms of the sound he took a step back here. The generic curse extends to the vocals here, the structure is similar to a lot of his past tracks. Tsotsi is a song addressed to those who want to pull him down, those who spend the whole day plotting against him. Its a popular theme among the masses and no doubt a number will love the jam. Personally this track falls short compared to others, its generic, the structure, vocals they are not doing it for me,  its my least favourite track on the album.

5. Jenny

The saxophone and strings intro do it for me. The structure of the track is in a way similar to Mudhara Vachauya, the track starts with some mellow lovely sounds, followed buy Jah's superb vocals and then the kicks and bass enter at the first chorus. This track is mellow and has this feel good vibe about it. The bass and saxophone are on point, loving them. Jah Prayzah delivered a strong vocal performance and his choice of words is very good here. On this track Jah is praising Jenny, an awesome girl he likes, he is mesmerized by her and complementing her on her attributes. 

6. Goto

This track has the intro among all the tracks, the guitar sets the mood for this track nicely. The instrumental is very good, the bass line is nice, the guitar  and keyboard work is just fantastic. It has a lovely afro jazz vibe. The instrumental in structured in a Tuku kind of sway, in my opinion this is the ideal sound for Jah Prayzah. Jah's voice was made for these kind of songs, he was on point, the backing vocals were on point, solid performances all round. This is a track that can stand the test of time, I believe its the sound and format Jah should invest in more if he is to make a lasting legacy on the Zim music scene. The acapella scene at the end is a fantastic touch, taking it back to the basics and a platform to show his vocal skills, its the best part of the track and will be a favourite for many at live shows. My favourite track on the album.

7. Kurumidza

This sounds like a toned down version of Andy Brown's Mapurisa with Jah Prayzah's vocals on it. A couple of instruments have been altered but the essence of Mapurisa is all over the track. Regardless of that the track is sounding very good, sampling is not bad as long as you do not ruin the track. The vocal performance is very strong from Jah on this track. Kurumidza is a sweet love jam, its a track one sings when they want their partner to be besides them all the time, have them close and under your protection.

8. Seke

The sungura kind of guitar work at the beginning sets the tone for this track. Its an uptempo track that's made to get people on the dancefloor. The structure of this track was made with a live performance in mind, the way the instruments are arranged is all aimed at making people dance. By the end of the track one will find themselves dancing or nodding their head. They did a great job on the production, the drummer gave an awesome performance here...applause to him. The vocals are on point and also adds to the party vibe of the track. The backing vocalists were engaged more here and they light up the track. This track is dedicated to Jah's mother, for all the stress and pain she endured to make sure the family is well taken for. Its a fitting dedication. Solid track.

9. Ndide Ndikude

This track has the same mellow chilled vibe like track (7) Kurumidza. As with many of the tracks here, the saxophone is on point. This track has some afro beat elements which i'm loving. The overall production is done very well. The vocal performance is standard, they complemented the instrumental quite well. Its another lovely love jam and here Jah is saying Ndide Ndikude Love Me and I'll Love you, treat me well and I'll treat you well. On top of that he is praising her partner on how she makes him feel, especially when she does this, that or wear that dress.

10. Mbembe

The intro has a strong sungura vibe to it. The saxophone follows and help jazz out the track. The instrumental in overall is sounding good. Love the bass line here, the guy on the bass guitar deserves an applause. However I feel there are way too many instruments are playing all at once which congests the track to an extent and distracts the listeners attention from the vocals. Despite that the vocal performance is on point as usual, Jah has never disappointed in that department.

11. In The Ghetto

Like Roots feat Luciano from last year's album Jah continued with his new tradition with this track. He tapped into the Lucky Dube kind of sound. The instrumental is sounding awesome they did a great job on the arrangement. The vocal performance on the other hand is not so good. Jah Prayzah should not have tried to sound like a rasta, and the rasta pronunciations, had he stuck to a non rasta type of lingo the track would have been much better. Take Culture T's tracks Satani Wabvepi or Dzimba Remambwe for instance, he was distinctly original and the result was two amazing classic jams. I tried and thought the track will grow on me but nahhh, the parts he tries to sound Jamaican make me cringe.

The overall production of this album is very good. The instrumental arrangement is done well in other tracks and weak in others. In terms of sound development Jah did not improve much from last year's superb Jerusarema. The album is sounding good but it lacks the mastery of Jerusarema.

The biggest challenge Jah faces is that people loved Jerusarema soo much that only a few believed he will be able to surpass it and becasue of that the album was already labelled a failure before it was released

Personally I did not think I was gonna enjoy the album but I did. My favourite track is Goto, also loved couple of other tracks namely; Kurumidza, Seke, Mbembe & Ndide Ndikude. On the other end of the spectrum tracks like Tsotsi, In The Ghetto and Watora Mari failed to excite me in any way.

Will end this review with a some questions:

Is Mudhara Vachauya better than Jerusarema?? : No It Is Not
Is Mudhara Vachauya the best album of 2016??  : No It Not, Tamy's The 18th Roller Coaster and Freeman's Mangoma Ihobho are much better albums.

Proud Zimbo Rating: B(75%)

What are your thought on the album??

Proud_Zimbo