Album Review : Mbeu & The Mhodzi Tribe - Hatizvimire
This has been the band that has captured my attention the most among the new and upcoming artists. Mbeu is vocally talented and will remind you of Romain Virgo every-time he goes behind the mic.
The first track I heard from Mbeu was the track Mavanga and it won me over from the first listen, searched for his other tracks and was not disappointed. He came at a time when I was complaining about the lack of purely reggae artists on the local scene and he filled that void. Apart from his voice his music is always laced with some good themes. Hope he does not catch the pop music bug and keeps on delivering the smooth mellow vibes like he has been doing.
Big artists such as Jah Prayzah n Oliver Mtukudzi have been grooming him, giving him a platform to showcase his talent. He has been opening fot JP on most of his Harare shows and he also frequents Tuku's Pakare Paye for shows. With such mentors if he remaims principled and stick to his sound he will make it big.
He has now released his debut album which I have been listening to for some days now and today will be sharing with you my views and thoughts on the album.
As usual will be doing a track by track review:
1. Ziso
Love how this track starts, the instrumentation catches you attention especially the prolonged drumroll part. The overall production is done very well, the band has been together for some time and the chemistry is showing. This is a very good romantic jam. On the track Mbeu is saying the eyes communicates with the heart as to what they have seen and the heart inter-prates the situation, so he is saying to the lady that has captured his attention that he has seen what no other guy has seen in her and his heart is satisfied with what the eyes have seen. Mbeu's vocals are on point, love how the vocals are structured, they give you enough time for the message to simmer down whilst also leaving space for the awesome instrumental to sweep you away.
2. Ndione
I cannot resist the lure of good guitar work and this track had me bumping side to side from the start, the guitar work is so lovely that you cannot help it but enjoy. Love the fact that they let the instrumental do it's thing before the vocals kick in, that drum work and guitar work...eish. On the vocals Mbeu was superb, he just went straight to the point; crying out to the Lord that he needs enlightenment, he falls short in many ways but he wants the Lord to open his inner eyes so he can see and mend his ways. The vocals and instrumental compliment each other to near perfection.
3. Kuti Unzi
This is one of my early favourites from the album, the instrumental arrangement is just awesome, those reggae guitar riffs are on point. The overall feel of the track is on point, it hits all the right spots every-time I listen to the track. This track is soo good and it feels too short for me, I keep repeating it over and over. On the track he is talking about the stale relationship which he is in, he is saying to his lady that it no longer permissible for you to be called my woman, the relationship has failed, what we are now doing is appalling/zvinosemesa.
4. Hatizvimire
The title track of the album is an uptempo track in which Mbeu is saying we will not listen to those who say they should stop releasing music, they are not going to abide by the laws of naysayers but they will keep on delivering the good vibes. The track is a fusion of dancehall and jazz, the instrumental arrangement is done well, love the last part of the song.
5. Njila
I'm quite sure that Njila means Road/Nzira. On this track Mbeu is saying unto the Lord that you have seen me and taken me from the wrong road my life was taking. Love how the guitars were also singing along with Mbeu. The overall instrumental arrangement is done well.
6. Wakakosha
This track is dedicated to all the ladies, its telling every girl that they should know that they are important. People may look down upon them but they should not grow weary but get up and continue working on their dreams. Its not only limited to the ladies but towards the end Mbeu is giving his thanks to all that made this album a reality (JP, Tuku, Two Kings Ent...). The production is done well, love the guitar work throughout the track.
7. Mumwe Wangu
The guitar work again won me over from the onset, the guitar work is sublime, I cannot resist such a song. The overall production is done superbly well, like how can you even resists such lovely guitar work. The vocals are again done exceptionally well, Mbeu is really blessed with some powerful vocals. This track is talking about friendship, in life you meet a certain person who ends up being as close to you just like your biological brother or sister. The journey that the two of you have gone through has made your relationship much stronger.
8. Hazvinei
Again on this song the lovely guitar work welcomes and serenades you before the vocals even commence. The lovely guitar work will usher you throughout the whole track, overall production is done very well. On this track Mbeu is saying regardless of how some people have no faith in him he will continue working towards his dream. He has removed pride from his life as it is a hindrance to his development.
9. Papa Do You Know
Of all the songs this is probably the songs I have some issues with, the instrumental is sublime as the other tracks on the album but the vocals are not as good as the other tracks. The vocals follow a sort of generic pattern which sounds good but not as unique as the other track on the album. On the track Mbeu is saying do not despair for the Lord is in control of everything.
10. Handina Kuziva
He switched it up for this last jam, leaving the afro fusion tip for a more bouncy afro beat kind of structure. On the track Mbeu is saying to his lady that he is sorry for being oblivious to her suffering when he was concentrating on his job which made him neglect her. Mbeu's vocal performance was quite okay on the track, in overall its a nice track you can listen to.
As usual will be doing a track by track review:
1. Ziso
Love how this track starts, the instrumentation catches you attention especially the prolonged drumroll part. The overall production is done very well, the band has been together for some time and the chemistry is showing. This is a very good romantic jam. On the track Mbeu is saying the eyes communicates with the heart as to what they have seen and the heart inter-prates the situation, so he is saying to the lady that has captured his attention that he has seen what no other guy has seen in her and his heart is satisfied with what the eyes have seen. Mbeu's vocals are on point, love how the vocals are structured, they give you enough time for the message to simmer down whilst also leaving space for the awesome instrumental to sweep you away.
2. Ndione
I cannot resist the lure of good guitar work and this track had me bumping side to side from the start, the guitar work is so lovely that you cannot help it but enjoy. Love the fact that they let the instrumental do it's thing before the vocals kick in, that drum work and guitar work...eish. On the vocals Mbeu was superb, he just went straight to the point; crying out to the Lord that he needs enlightenment, he falls short in many ways but he wants the Lord to open his inner eyes so he can see and mend his ways. The vocals and instrumental compliment each other to near perfection.
3. Kuti Unzi
This is one of my early favourites from the album, the instrumental arrangement is just awesome, those reggae guitar riffs are on point. The overall feel of the track is on point, it hits all the right spots every-time I listen to the track. This track is soo good and it feels too short for me, I keep repeating it over and over. On the track he is talking about the stale relationship which he is in, he is saying to his lady that it no longer permissible for you to be called my woman, the relationship has failed, what we are now doing is appalling/zvinosemesa.
4. Hatizvimire
The title track of the album is an uptempo track in which Mbeu is saying we will not listen to those who say they should stop releasing music, they are not going to abide by the laws of naysayers but they will keep on delivering the good vibes. The track is a fusion of dancehall and jazz, the instrumental arrangement is done well, love the last part of the song.
5. Njila
I'm quite sure that Njila means Road/Nzira. On this track Mbeu is saying unto the Lord that you have seen me and taken me from the wrong road my life was taking. Love how the guitars were also singing along with Mbeu. The overall instrumental arrangement is done well.
6. Wakakosha
This track is dedicated to all the ladies, its telling every girl that they should know that they are important. People may look down upon them but they should not grow weary but get up and continue working on their dreams. Its not only limited to the ladies but towards the end Mbeu is giving his thanks to all that made this album a reality (JP, Tuku, Two Kings Ent...). The production is done well, love the guitar work throughout the track.
7. Mumwe Wangu
The guitar work again won me over from the onset, the guitar work is sublime, I cannot resist such a song. The overall production is done superbly well, like how can you even resists such lovely guitar work. The vocals are again done exceptionally well, Mbeu is really blessed with some powerful vocals. This track is talking about friendship, in life you meet a certain person who ends up being as close to you just like your biological brother or sister. The journey that the two of you have gone through has made your relationship much stronger.
8. Hazvinei
Again on this song the lovely guitar work welcomes and serenades you before the vocals even commence. The lovely guitar work will usher you throughout the whole track, overall production is done very well. On this track Mbeu is saying regardless of how some people have no faith in him he will continue working towards his dream. He has removed pride from his life as it is a hindrance to his development.
9. Papa Do You Know
Of all the songs this is probably the songs I have some issues with, the instrumental is sublime as the other tracks on the album but the vocals are not as good as the other tracks. The vocals follow a sort of generic pattern which sounds good but not as unique as the other track on the album. On the track Mbeu is saying do not despair for the Lord is in control of everything.
10. Handina Kuziva
He switched it up for this last jam, leaving the afro fusion tip for a more bouncy afro beat kind of structure. On the track Mbeu is saying to his lady that he is sorry for being oblivious to her suffering when he was concentrating on his job which made him neglect her. Mbeu's vocal performance was quite okay on the track, in overall its a nice track you can listen to.
So ya that's it for the album Hatizvimirire and I have to say this is a very good and solid project. Going into this project was expecting some reggae vibes like those he has been delivering prior to the album and that was not the case, he switched to a an afro fusion afro jazz kind of vibe on this project. Was quite disappointed in that bt at least he did not switch to dancehall, the afro fusion/jazz that he switched to has similar attributes to the reggae he was producing.
The production is done very well throughout the album, I am a sucker for good guitar work and this album is laced with loads of lovely guitar work, I'm happy. Despite the guitars taking all the attention the guy behind the drums delivered a superb performance throughout.
In terms of vocals Mbeu was on point on all the tracks, his strong and lovely vocals shine throughout the project. When it comes to themes he addressed issues ranging from love relationships (Ziso, Handina Kuziva & Kuti Unzi), friendships (Mumwe Wangu), personal introspections (Ndione, Hatizvimire, Hazvinei).
In conclusion this is a very good album, definitely among the best I have listened to this year. I love it when an artist who is not at the top of the music game comes up with such a solid project, it shows the industry is growing. Just hope the album gets the attention it deserves. I definitely recommend the album.
My Overall Rating: 8.75/10.
What are your thoughts on the album???
Proud_Zimbo
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