Masa Caroleen - Pamusoroi Album Review
The recent massive load-shedding has made listening to the radio my main source of external entertainment. Have always been a fan of radio but these days am listening to it more that I usually do. Radio provides me an escape from my ow music library and playlist, I get to enjoy someone's else playlist and get involved in various interesting topic conversations. Above all what I love about listening to the radio is I get to discover new interesting artists. Currently have been listening to So Profound a lot (he plays Sunday [10-12am], then 9pm-12pm on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday) and he has been introducing me to a lot of local soulful artists that I had no idea of. One artist that I have been introduced to and fell in love with the most is Masa Caroleen.
I first knew about the name last year during the Jacaranda Music Festival, I always attend these music festivals to experience those relatively unknown artists however due to some distractions (buying alcohol) did not really get to watch Masa's set, a friend of me however was asking about her from the few mins we saw her perform. Over the past months heard a number of positive stuff about her music but I just pushed it away till I became a regular on the soul avenue. Have done my research about her and realized that she released an album this year. As I listened to the album was glad to know that there were a couple of tracks I loved and heard on various urban radio stations which I did not know where hers. The album is called Pamusoroi, have listened to it for the past couple of weeks and today will be sharing with you my thoughts and views on the project. For those wondering who is Masa, this is your lucky day, I will help you decide whether she is worthy of being added onto your playlist or not.
1. Ndiwe.
On the first track on the album Masa is singing to the person that is driving her crazy, that person who is taking all her attention. She is reassuring her love that he shouldn't be scared of anything, she loves him and will protect him from even her parents if they decide otherwise. The track is lively and playful, which complements the theme very well. Love the guitar work, its superbly done, the arrangement of the instruments is well done. Masa delivered a beautiful performance on the vocals, she injected the needed energy into the track and blended with the instrumentals well.
2. Paye (feat Mwenji Mathole).
This is the track that made me a believer!, it kept playing in my heard days after I first listened to the track, I would subconsciously find myself singing this track many a times (even if I did not know the lyrics then). This is a super super beautiful track, I simply cannot get enough of it. The track hits all the right chords, as someone who has recently become a married man and a father, I resonated with what Mwenji was singing about. As a man our lives are filled with struggles and the never-ending stress of providing for your family and when you get home you crave for a peaceful time, its the one place of comfort you have. Going acoustic was a superb choice, having the track stripped down so the attention goes to the vocals and message. Masa and Mwenji have superb chemistry, their vocals complement each other well. This is a beautiful jam, ohhh my.
3. Wandigona (feat Mangoma).
Masa reversed the normal breakup narration as she is saying "Thanks for breaking up with me...". She is actually celebrating a break-up, the guy had too many excuses and the relationship had run its course, there was no more love and it was now full if mistrust. The production is done well, the guitar work is also done well. Masa was also good on the vocals, she delivered the I don't care attitude which such a theme requires quite well.
4. Ndega.
Masa is talking about her music journey to where she is now. Following one's dream is mainly a lonely journey, others will never see you vision as you see it, they will mostly advise you otherwise. Masa is singing about the sleepless nights, the hurdles and letdowns she has had to endure. The production is well done, love the guitar work, the overall instrumental arrangement is well done.
5. Nzelo.
This is the first track I heard from Masa but I did not know the title or even that it was from her. On Sunday the main genre is soul and that's the day I listen to radio the most and this track is played quite a lot. It a lovely soulful track, the production is well done, love the guitar work and overall vibe of the track. One may be mistaken to think this is a love track but its not!!, Masa is asking to be paid whats she is worth, she works hard to feed her family and she desires to be adequately appreciated. She is sacrificing her dreams to do this work so she expects the job to at least provide her with something.
This is the first track I heard from Masa but I did not know the title or even that it was from her. On Sunday the main genre is soul and that's the day I listen to radio the most and this track is played quite a lot. It a lovely soulful track, the production is well done, love the guitar work and overall vibe of the track. One may be mistaken to think this is a love track but its not!!, Masa is asking to be paid whats she is worth, she works hard to feed her family and she desires to be adequately appreciated. She is sacrificing her dreams to do this work so she expects the job to at least provide her with something.
6. Tochema (feat Mangoma).
This track Masa's cry unto the Lord for him to intervene in our lives, we know we are not pure but we need Him in our Lives. Production is well done. Love the instrumental arrangement, the guitar work is superbly done, this is afro fusion at is best. Masa delivered a strong vocal performance on the track, adding the required energy and hitting the right notes.
7. The River.
Masa continued with the Afro Fusion vibe on this track, love how the flute and bass guitar combined, the lead guitar is also on point, the overall vibe of the track is on point. Masa laced the track with her superb vocals, she knows how to make the most out of her vocal range. This is one of those tracks that just have you lost in the sound, it reminds me of music from Mokoomba.
8. Dai Ndiri Shiri.
On this soulful track Masa is wishing she could talk with her mother and share with her all the struggles she is facing and achievements she has attained. The production of this track is super soulful, its laced with some lovely keyboard work which will sweep you away. Masa was again on point on the vocals delivering a solid performance.
9. Haagare.
Masa is singing about that husband who does not value his marriage, he doesn't stay home and all he did was destructive, she is saying this marriage has failed but she will not be moving away its the man that must move away as was never there to begin there. The production is again well done, Masa was quite passionate on the vocals.
10. Mazheti (feat Reverb 7).
The last track on the album is a playful house jam on which Masa has fallen for this guy who stays next door so she is doing all she can to get his attention. She teamed up with Reverb 7 and he did a solid job on the production. Masa was also solid on the vocals.
Stream The Album:
So ya that's it for Pamusoroi and its a freaking beautiful project. She definitely got next. Those reviews that I have been hearing were not misplaced at all, she is superb. This project is already getting quite a lot of airplay on urban radio stations and it deserves even more airplay.
The overall production is superb, the tracks sound fantastic and the overall mood of the album is on point. Loved the instrumental arrangements, the guitar work is beautiful throughout, you all know I am a sucker for good guitar work so ya I love the instrumentals here. I suspect Mangoma is a guitarist, he was featured on a couple of tracks but did not hear his vocals, if he is so, he did a superb job, if he is not, whatever he did worked because the tracks he featured were on point. Cannot fault anything on the production. This project puts me in a lovely mood and you know you are listening to something special when a project leaves you in a better mood than before.
Masa was up to the task on the vocals, she was solid throughout. Before I heard her music, many mentioned her vocals and now I understand the sentiments of those people. She has some super lovely vocals, they just work, they do the job pretty damn well, she plays to her strengths and nails it every time she opens her lips. The vocal collaboration with Mwenji on Paye was superb, one of the best collaborations of 2019 no doubt.
On the themes this album is equally balanced between love/relations issues (Ndiwe, Paye, Mazheti, Wandigona & Haagare) and some personal (partly social) topics (Dai Ndiri Shiri, Ndega, Tochema, Nzelo & The River). The album is however intimate as she sings from her point of view and not a generalized view, it's life as she sees it and sometimes as she experiences it. For example on Mazheti she is talking about how she tried certain tricks to attract her now husband (her interview with So Profound gave me insight on this one..shhh). On Ndega she is talks about her musical journey in a way that every artist can relate to. On Nzelo she tackles social issue many are experiencing now but in a personal way which makes you feel she is experiencing it too.
In conclusion this is a beautiful piece of work, eish am loving it. Its a compact project, there is no track you feel like skipping, very solid. I definitely recommend the album to anyone looking for some good music. This is a huge feat to achieve for a first project. Pamusoroi is what one says when they want to move past someone blocking their way and this is Masa's introduction unto the music scene, definitely asking for the way to be cleared as she moves to the front. After listening to Mbeu's The Mhodzi Diaries I believed no other album will match it this year but wow I was wrong this album is a serious competitor for my best album of 2019.
My Overall Rating: 9.5/10
Feel free to share your thoughts and views on the album???
Proud_Zimbo
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