Alick Macheso - Tinosvitswa Nashe Album Review

When Macheso is about to drop the whole nation stops in anticipation, no other project will be talked about, that's how big and  respected the legend is. He is the man who changed the Sungura handbook and changed what it means to have a good time in Zim.

The current Sungura revival is captivating and would love to see how Macheso fares compared to the new generation. The best among the new crop Mark Ngwazi will be releasing in two weeks, he has proven over his career that he is very capable and on his last album Chamugwegwedu Chamatindike proved he can beat anyone when it come to the best project for the year. Also another question going into this album is how will Macheso improve from his last album, production and arrangement wise??!!

The album was well marketed, the hype was there, and the launch was iconic, befitting the legend he is. As usual rushed to get my copy and now will be sharing with you my thoughts on the project.

Will be doing a track by track review as usual and after that will conclude with my overall thoughts.

1. Makazvinzwepi

The first track on the album is quite well arrangement, the guitar work is done well. On the track Ba Sharo is talking about the crazy taboo things that people are doing just to make progress in life. 

2. Kutadzirana

Ba Sharo is saying quarrels happen, you will wrong your partner at some point, it's normal and those arguments will make you understand each other better. The track is arranged very well, production is good, best one on the project. 

3. Nzendo Dzirefu

This track has the best intro on the whole album, its has that feel good nostalgic feel to it. It gets you into an introspective mood before the lyrics start, which is excatly the state you need to be in for the track. Production is not good, the track is well arranged but production quality fails the track. Life is one long journey filled with many challenges, many which will be tough so Ba Sharo is asking the Lord for intervention for the journey of life is long and hard. 

4. Impfa Nimulandi

Death comes to us all, sometimes it feels unfair but thats the path we will all take. This is what Macheso is talking about on this project. The track is arranged well. 

5. Munhu Mumwe

On this track Ba Sharo is saying noone can personalise the Lord, he is for everyone, so why hate another person as if you own them. The track is arranged quite well. 

6. Ndimi Vanhu Vacho

On the last track Ba Sharo is thinking everyone who has supported his music, their support have made him into what he is now.

Stream the album: Tinosvitswa Nashe

So ya that's it for Tinosvitswa Nashe and poor production will be the the downfall of this otherwise solid project. 

The production is not up to par, have tried to listen to the album on various platforms, have had to even look for a disc but the quality was not good on all of them. Macheso needs to change his sound engineer, he has the funds to work with the best, I have no idea why he and his team insist on doing everything themselves. Macheso during his peak worked with Bothwell Nyamhondera and they produced magic, why its no longer working  baffles me. He should try other producers,  there is  Monomukundu who has been producing quality projects for over 20yrs, or even the new DT Bio Mudimba who is proving to be a superb producer. We cannot continue overlooking this fact, Ba Sharo has to do better at the sound engineering, mixing and mastering. The lead guitar sounds distorted, the vocals are barely audible at some parts, this should improve. 

The tracks are arranged quite well, you can clearly pick that the Legend still has the touch but the production quality is failing him. 

On the themes Macheso was on point, they are very easily relateable to many Zimbos.

To wrap up this review I shall not say much but production needs to improve. Yes on live shows the tracks will come out better but we cannot all attend the live shows. If possible Ba Sharo and his team should just take this project to a better producer, have him re-mix and remaster the whole project and quietly replace all the audios on all music streaming platforms. I have several tracks which I enjoyed despite the poor production quality (Nzendo Dzirefu, Kutadzirana, Makazvinzwepi) but the production will ensure I won't keep listening to the tracks for longer.

My overall rating: 6.5/10

Feel free to share your thoughts on the album in the comments section below.

Proud_Zimbo