Album Review: Freeman - Mukuru Wekambani

Freeman is one of those very few or rare dancehall artists who concentrates on albums more than singles. These days he rarely releases singles, nearly every single he drops is part of a project except when he is featuring on someone's track. Undoubtedly he is one of the icons of Zim Dancehall with a a legion of fans. 

His last album Top Striker failed was not that good a project, it failed to live up to the standards set by it's predecessor Magoma Ihobho but that has not stopped the HKD Boss from going back to the studio and create another project for us. The new album Mukuru Wekambani is now upon us and today will be sharing my views and thoughts on the album.

Going into this album one thing that was very evident is the improvement by Freeman in terms of organizations and marketing. He did not go the Winky D or JP billboard way but the marketing was done well. They made commendable use of social media and ensured every Freeman Fan was aware of the incoming album. 

The album contains 12 tracks and will be doing a track by track review below:

1. Hodhi

The opening track on the album starts with Freeman talking to his father in law, professing hos love for his daughter. He is frank to him that he does not have the money that is needed right now to pay lobola and get married, all he has now is his talent and guitar and he is going to work hard to give his daughter the life she deserves. It's quite a controversial stance but one thing you cannot avoid is the bravery in such a mukwasha. The production is done okay and Freeman delivered a good performance. 

2. Wekwedu
The visuals for this track were released on the album launch and they are quite good, fitting to the theme of the track. This track talks about how proud your parents and family will be on the day on your wedding. A wedding is a symbol of victory to many and gives a platform for the family members to celebrate their victory. With how weddings are being highly upheld these days this track has a particular fanbase that will enjoy it. The production is done well and Freeman delivered a solid performance. 

3. Big Life

This is  probably the track that many will be singing to after listening to the album. On this track Freeman is talking about the issue of those guys who want to be known as big spenders despite their parents suffering and failing to make ends meet back at home. Freeman is saying that's not the definition of a Big Life, one must learn to take care of their parents. The production is done well and Freeman delivered a solid vocal performance. 

4. Zuva

Freeman is also known as the love Dokta and he shows that on this cliche track. It follows that well played out theme of promising your lady that you can get her anything she wants, even the sun or moon. Its a nice love jam, nothing really new but you can listen to it.  The production is done quite okay and Freeman delivered a good performance. 

5. Mukati

This is the dedicated party jam on the album and it sounds a lot like Siya from his Mangoma Ihobho album. Cymplex did a good job on the production giving as he gave his own interpretation of afro-dancehall. Freeman delivered a energetic performance as required by the track. Its a track that will get a number of people on the dancefloor.

6. Slaying Queen feat Mai Titi

Slay Queens is a popular term that means young naive girls who do not date broke/poor guys. On this track Freeman is assuming the role of the father of a young girl whom she is advising against becoming a slay queen as that will bring about shame to the family, he is advising her that there are many older man (blessers) that are on the hunt for young ladies, they will spend a lot of money on you but use you and leave you on the deathbed. So he is urging his daughter to be well mannered, down to earth as that will pay off in the end. The production is done quite okay, its not the most interesting of instrumentals. Freeman delivered a good performance on the vocals, Mai Titi  did quite well on the intro. 

7. Mukuru Wekambani feat Poptain

The title track of the album is a worthy jam. Freeman and Poptain are urging many Zimbos who are forced to create their own jobs inorder to make ends meet that they should not lose hope but as the leaders of their companies should keep powering on. It's tough having a business in such an environment but one must not look don upon their job and keep working hard towards their goal. This is powerful jam. Production is done very well. Freeman and Poptain were solid on the vocals and both delivered superb performances. 

8. AnaMerodhi

Freeman at some time was overdoing this theme about haters but that all changed when he released Mangoma Ihobho 2 years. He has returned to the same topic but this time it's sounding superb, despite the theme this is a well structured and produced track. Freeman was at his best on the vocals, he gave a performance which will remind many why they fell in love with him in the first place, he also showcased some good wordplay which all combine to make the track entertaining. The production is done superbly well, Oskid deserves some applause on the production. This is my early favourite on the whole album....superb jam. 

9. Husband Nechikomba

The title will definitely draw some attention because with such a title you know it's going to be drama. On the track Freeman is advising against hooking up with married woman, it always ends up disaster. The production is done well, the instrumental is sounding very good, Elliah Bass did a good job on it. The track however failed to excite me much and is my least favourite on the album.

10. Mishani feat DaRuler

In the current environment you get to find out that your partner will spend more time out hustling trying to make ends meet. That may be noble but it's tearing families apart, spending too much time apart is bad for the relationships. On this track DaRuler is assuming the role of the wife calling his husband begging him to come home for its now unbearable without him around and Freeman (the husband) is saying I have you in my mind and heart, you my family are giving me the energy to keep on pushing as I want to provide you the life you dream of. Love the way the addressed the issue and the track will definitely appeal to many families around Zimbabwe. Freeman and DaRuler have a lot of chemistry between them, and they complimented each other very well. Their performances are very good, giving the needed emotion for the theme at hand. 

11. Some More

Reggae when done well has this allure to it hat dancehall does not posses and listening to this track you get to experience that reggae magic. Freeman is in a way preaching unity and love on this track, he is saying fans and artists should not fight as to who is the best but they should appreciate and enjoy good music. It's also a self praise track as Dokta is saying the fans are always screaming for more when he gets on stage. The production is done very well, the arrangement is done well, Freeman delivered a solid vocal performance blending perfectly with the instrumental. This is one track that is likely to make the fans go crazy during a live show.

12. Ga Ga Ga feat Crystal

This is one fun jam, it's catchy, it's playful and at the same time addressing a very vital social issue of  rape or alleged rape. There is quite an alarming level of cases whereby a family plans to accuse someone of rape because of various issues In the case on this track the accused is saying he was dating both the mother and daughter so when they found it out the connived to get the guy arrested on the grounds of rape. Freeman assumes the role of the judge presiding over the case and he is hearing both sides of the story before giving a verdict. The vocals performances are done very well, Freeman and  Crystal complemented each other well. The production is also done well, the structure of the instrumental helps brings out the playfulness of the track very well. 

Stream the album: Mukuru Wekambani on Spotify

Stream on Soundcloud:

So ya that's it for the track by track review. The album is definitely a huge improvement from his last album Top Striker. The overall productions is done very well, I continue to applause Freeman for continuing to work with different producers on his albums, it brings diversity and in turn make the albums entertaining to listen to. The various producers:

> Simplex (Hodhi, Wekwedu, Zuva, Mukati, Mishani & Some More), 

> Oskid (AnaMerodhi), 

> JMP (Mukuru Wekambani), 

> Mt Zion (Ga Ga Ga, Slaying Queen), 

> Elliah Bass (Husband Nechikomba), 

> Futronic (Big Life) 

all did a superb job, applause to them. .

In terms of issues addressed the album is sort of a mixed bag, Freeman is motivating the masses to work hard on Mukuru Wekambani whilst also highlighting the issues that arise from getting lost in trying to hustle all the time on Mishani. He went on to advise people to make sure they don't get lost in portraying to be living a Big Life whilst neglecting their parents back home, your parents have sacrificed a lot for you to be where you are and also are full of blessing. He also urges young ladies to be down to earth and desist from being Slay Queens. As the Dokta werudo he went on to sing about relationships on Hodhi, Wekwedu, Husband Nechikomba and Zuva. He provided a interesting way to address the issues of rape and alleged rape that are happening quite a lot of suburbs especially the ghettos. He also in a way sang against haters whilst pushing for unity on Anamerodhi and Some More. Lastly it cannot be a dancehall album without a purely dance song, we get such a track on the track Mukati. 

Freeman delivered a solid performance throughout the album, he was solid whilst showcasing a rare melodic side on the track Anamerodhi. He definitely experimented less on this album vocally as compared to the last album and that paid off. The artists that featured all were up to par when called upon; DaRuler was on point with her deep voice, Poptain was on point on the title track, Mai Titi for that very small part did well and lastly Crystal also was on point when called. 

In conclusion this is a good solid album, I love how Freeman managed to keep the tracks down to a manageable number, I always complain by artists who put 18 or 20 plus tracks on their album whereby most of them are just forgettable filler tracks. The lower number of tracks made this album much more compact and gave Freeman a chance to only give us his best tracks. There is no track I dislike or hate on this album, my least favourite track Husband Nechikomba is not that awful, it has redeemable features such as the instrumental. Enjoyed listening to the album and i'm split about my favourite track between Anamerodhi and Mukuru Wekambani, other tracks that complete my top 7 tracks are Some More, Ga Ga Ga, Mukati, Mishani, Big Life, Wekwedu. The quality of this album is very good, overall feel is also very good , I definitely recommend it. Best dancehall out at the moment. 

My overall rating : 7/10.

What are your thoughts on the album??

Proud_Zimbo