Sulumani Chimbetu - Entanglement Album Review

This album was waaaay overdue, if it wasn't for the many personal scandals in Sulu's life we probably would have got this two years back. Dendera fans all over were complaining that the Chimbetus were letting them down and now in a space of a month we have got two projects from the Chimbetus, first was Urgent Matter by Allan "Professor" Chimbetu and now Entanglement by Sulumani "Sulu" Chimbetu. Will be reviewing the projects simultaneously to see who delivered the better project. 

In this review will however be concentrating on Entanglement. Sulu's last album took was more political and because of that it faced some form of censorship as us the case in Zim. The tracks on that album were not instant hits despite the censorship but as time went by the tracks started to grown on me and started appreciating the album more. 

On this album he switched back from the political route and went back to his usual stuff. Given the title its seems he will be singing about the entanglements he was caught up in over the past years. Have got my copy of the album and today will be sharing with you my views and thoughts on the album. 

As usual will he doing a track by track review. 

1 Fara Nezvako

On the first track Sulu is urging people to be proud of what they were blessed with, we all can't be the same so each person should accept and celebrate what they have been blessed with. Production is done well, arrangement is superbly done, love the guitar work here. 

2 Bvuma Kusara

Sulu teamed up with Oskid on this track and they delivered a superb jam. Oskid worked the magic with Tryson Chimbetu on the hit Maria and now he has teamed with another Chimbetu and excelled. Production is tight, clean and track is full of energy. 

3 Kunda Zimbabwe

On this track Sulu is urging Zimbabwe to take advantage of what it was blessed with to create a successful nation. Production is done very well, the bass progression on this track is the same as the one on Chopper's Comma, they managed to utilise the very well without sounding like a ripoff. The overall track sounds good. 

4 Wandirwadzisa

Given the scandal we have read on the newspaper about what was happening in Sulu's life he made this song saying to his wife, mistakes happen and he is apologising for causing her pain. Production is done well and love the arrangement of the instruments. 

5 Moyo Wangu

Sulu is talking about true love comes from his heart, he gave his heart to someone who then broke his heart and now he feels he no longer has any love left in his heart. This is exactly what many feel after a heartbreak. The production is superbly done, arrangement is on point. The instrumental sounds good to the extent that they felt they have to include it as a bonus track. The addition of the saxophone added a jazz soulful vibe to the track it was great addition. Don't know if Sulu was singing from experience here or not??!!. 

6 Africa

Sulu is on this track encouraging Africa to be united in order to succeed. He is urging fellow Africans to overcome the limitations that were created by colonists and build a prosperous continent. The track is well produced, arrangement is spot on. 

7 Chinyenye

Sulu dedicates this song to his other half, Chinyenye chake. Love the feel of this track, its well arranged and well produced. Sulu and the band have truly came of age. 

8 Nguva

On this track Sulu is singing about how time heals, sometimes you may feel the pain you feel may never end but in time you will heal and be able to live again. Production and arrangement is spot on. 

9 Pungwe

Sulu on this track is urging Zimbos to create the country they want as many fought so we could create a country we are all proud of. He is advocating for democracy and good governance. The production is solid, guitar work is very good, this track is just spot on, definitely one of my favourites on the album. 

10 Moyo Wangu (Instrument) 

This is basically the instrumental for the track Moyo Wangu. Have already mentioned on the full track that the production is spot on, and here you get to marvel at the instruments alone. 

Stream the album: Entanglement

So ya that's it for the Entanglement album by Sulu, I have enjoyed this project a lot. Sulu has managed to move past his entanglement issues in a proper way. 

Sulu definitely benefits from inheriting the original Orchestra Dendera Kings band from his father. That benefit is evident all througout the album. This however does not take away the creativity of Sulu, many have inherited bands from their parents but few have managed to excel to the level Sulu has and that is a testament to his creativity and ability to coordinate the band very well. Production is solid on this project, after years of absense he definitely went all on on production. 

Love all the instrumental arrangements on the album. He borrowed the bass progression of Comma on Kunda Zimbabwe but managed to use it as a springboard and not create a ripoff. 

Vocally Sulu has his unique vocals and he was solid throughout. He harmonized well with his backing vocals when needed, for example on the track Kunda Zimbabwe. 

In conclusion was very much impressed with this project. After years of absence this project is a solid comeback. As a Dendera fan this will absolutely be on my festive playlist. Compared to Allan's Urgent Matter which I was reviewing alongside this one, Sulu outdid his Uncle, his project is more consistent and overall sounds better. 

My overall rating: 8/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on the album??!! 

Proud_Zimbo