Album Review: Leonard Zhakata - Mutunga Dzose
Leonard Karikoga Zhakata or Baba Chamu as he is affectionately know by his fans is an icon in the music game, some may say he is a legend. He is well know for his sharp socially conscious lyrics which cute very deep. Very deep to the extent that he was banned from being played on radio stations due to his politically charged lyrics. Regardless of that he became the youngest artists to sell over 100 000 copies with his debut album Maruva Enyika in 2004. Personally I believe he is one of the best wordsmiths we have in the music genre, he is just that fantastic. So when he said he will be releasing a new album was anxious to see if he will deliver after some time being quiet and with him being a Pastor or Bishop (i'm not really sure) wanted to see how that would affect his music. So listened to the album for some weeks and now am ready to give you my review.
1. Pemberai Navo
The distinct Zora sounds greets you from the onset of this track. The track is sounding quite well, love the arrangement, its has elements of some Baba Charamba type of sound. The track is about celebrating with others when its their time. We all cannot be successful at one, success comes at different stages to different people. Feeling jealousy due to the success of others will only hurt and create problems for yourself, like LKZ says "ukarwadziwa neni haupore". Lovely track with a positive message
2. Tinzweiwo Mambo
This is cry to those in power and also to the Lord (or both) for mercy on the people of Zimbabwe. LKZ is saying everyone is crying with how things are, we all want to create a future for our families and leave lasting legacies but the situation is not allowing that. He is asking the Lord for leadership that stands for the people and that which strives to create a better life for the people. Deep. The instrumental is sounding good, Baba Chamu also experimented with his sound a bit here and it paid off.
3. Mutunga Dzose
The title track of the album is about declaration. It's about giving praise to the Lord, King of Kings Mutunga Dzose. By virtue of being children of God we have been given dominion over all those forces around us. On this track he is saying now its the time for fulfillment of our dreams and needs. Bringing down the spirit of oppression. Thought provoking. The track has a lovely instrumental, its smooth and hits the right spots. Zhakata as usual gave a standard perfomance, his vocals were on point and he blended well with the instrumental.
4. Zvinoda Nyasha
The start of this track reminds me of the 90's Zhakata. The falsetto just takes you back. The instrumental arrangement is just on point. Given the economic and political turmoil we are facing in the country every Zimbo needs somewhere to lean on, we are all trying day and night to make ends meet to no avail. There seem to be no end to the downward spiral of the economic and social situations. Zvinotoda Nyasha kuti zvifambe, kuti tisvike kwatinoda kusvika, Grace is needed for us to be able to reach where we want to reach. The instrumental is sounding very good, it complements the feel and theme of the track very well.
5. Vauya Nei (Pain Killer)
Love the message on this one. Baba Chamu is saying "ngatizivanei pasaite anoridza tsamwa" meaning lets get to know each other so we know how to treat each other, avoid fights and useless disagreements in the future. He is advocating for fruitful relations between people. He is also saying be confident with who you are and work to be the best person you can be to the best of your abilities. When you know who you are and are confident about yourself what people say will not affect you much. The instrumental is standard, not my favourite on the album but its arranged quite well.
6. Madam Boss ft Sulumani Chimbetu & Progress Chipfumo
The lineup took my attention and this was the first track I listened to. This track is different from all the tracks on this album, Leonard Zhakata begins with his signature falsetto. The arrangement of the instrumental is different from the Zora arrangement we are used to from Baba Chamu but that to be expected judging by the lineup. Listening to the track one can hear the dendera (Sulu) influences and jazzy (Progress) elements especially from 03:15-04.10, its just fantastic. The artist's different vocal styles gives the track a nice fusion and party feel, you cant help but dance to this track. Oskid did a great job on the production, for someone who specializes in dancehall he did a great job.
7. Mutumwa.
This track has a very strong township jazzy feel to it. The way the instruments are arranged and how he is singing all are in jazz kind of format, somehow I started picturing Bob Nyabinde or Tanga WekwaSando on such an instrumental. Personally i'm a sucker for Jazz so am loving this instrumental. Zhakata gave a standard signature performance with his vibrating type of singing.
In overall this is a solid and deep album as I expected. The tracks seem to have a lot of meanings, which is to be expected from Zhakata. He still hasn't lost his lyrical penning skills and the vocals are still on point. The choice of words is brilliant on the album, he structured them very well. The signature Zhakata falsetto and vibrating kind of singing is still there and still sounding good. My favorite track on the album is Madam Boss, other track I enjoyed are Mutunga Dzose, Tinzweiwo Mambo. On the other hand a Bishop singing a track like Madam Boss...uhmmm.
The instrumentals are all well made. Its still signature Zora but a bit more fused than normal. Zora is more of a thought provoking type of sungura and due to that it not everyone's cup of tea. This album will not necessarily win Zhakata new fans (not really) but it will definitely please all the existing Zora fans. So its probably either you like the album or you will not even know it exists because I don't see any track other than Madam Boss getting massive airplay on radio. That will definitely affect the album's overall performance.
Proud Zimbo Rating: C (65%)
What are your thoughts on the album??
Proud_Zimbo
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