Zimbabwe loses a legend - R.I.P Fortune Muparutsa

It was with great sadness that we at XBC Jumpoff received the news of the passing of Fortune Muparutsa. There are few who possess such talent or greatness. We never managed to get to know Fortune personally but we still adored his work. A year ago we played the song Dream Girl on one of our podcasts and it had everything a hit needed: a good sound, mature production, brilliant vocals and touching lyrics. Besides that the sound was sure to have mass appeal. At the time very few people knew that Fortune was making a comeback as a singer after a near 10 year hiatus mostly concentrating on producing for other artists.

Fortune was well respected in the music circles in Zimbabwe. Many artists we came across always expressed their desire to work with him, though for most, his prices were unaffordable(but soooooooooo worth it!). If you wanted an assured hit Fortune was the go-to man. This is evidenced by all the hits he produced like In My Dreams by Innocent Utsiwegota, Kumba Kwenyu by Alexio, Boy U Got To Know by Tia & Come To Party by Major Playaz to mention a few. He was also a mentor to many many people in the industry for example Flash Gordon, Sanii Makhalima, John Jay and other people he closely worked with. The great thing about the songs he produced was they were all of such a high standard and could easily compete internationally by any bar. When i listen to Dzimbaremabwe by V.O.L.U.M.E i still think it eclipses many Hip Hop songs produced even to this day. He really impressed when he worked with Alexio on the song Kumba Kwenyu. The original which Alexio had recorded elsewhere was hard to stomach even with Alexio's great voice. Production quality was poor and at best it typified a sub-standard backyard recording with poor mixing and no mastering at all. Fortune then laid his hands on it and redid the whole song from the production to recording to the mixing then the mastering. The end product made me wonder if it was a different song altogether. That is just one example of the finesse and ability Fortune had.

Many describe him as not having anything close to a bad bone in his body and a very energetic and humble fellow. Us as fans knew him through his music and we loved what we knew and still do. To hear of his death hurt us as if we actually knew him. That is the impact his music had on us. His passing is a sad loss for Zimbabwe, but God made his decision and Fortune is now in a better place. Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues, we share your pain. Fortune Muparutsa will forever be loved and remembered.

We have done a Tribute show in his honour.
Get the show @:
http://www.xbcjumpoff.mypodcast.com or

http://sharebee.com/ecd48729
Filename: Tribute Podcast - R.I.P Fortune 'W.O.FMan' Muparutsa....mp3 Size: 39.69 MB

Rest In Peace.


Wangu ndega

Acoustic - Sanii Makhalima (2008)

One of the most successful Urban Grooves artists of all time is back with a sizzling album in 2008 after the widely popular Ndofefeterwa. Sanii Makhalima needs no introduction at all following the footsteps of older brother Delani with a very colourful musical career of his own. In recent years we have witnessed his dynamic touch as a producer, sound engineer, song-writer, instrumentalist and singer.

Acoustic is Sanii Makhalima's third album which he mostly produced himself. The title of the album is influenced by the dominance of the acoustic guitar in most of the songs, in a way as a signature of the whole project. This project is a testimony of Sanii's amazing talent both as an artist and producer. Sweet Lady featuring Leonard Mapfumo opens up this piece and it is a song which will go far. With lyrics like 'Maziso ake anopenya senyeredzi' ladies will simply drop to their knees with love after giving this song a listen! Leonard's verse was one of the best he has ever written and he adds weight to this collaboration. Iwewe is a very beautiful song and Sanii picks up from where he left off on Ndofefeterwa. This song is enough for me to call him the king of ballads when it comes to Zimbabwean R'n'B . This does come with stiff competition from artists like Taku Paradza and Alexio Kawara.

One of my favourite cuts is Ngiyakuthanda, it is heart stopping and the rich Ndebele lyrics are mind-blowing. Handimbokusiya has a lovely piano and this song can make your lady cry once the lyrics sink in. I think the great thing about the music on this album is it is not far fetched or too experimental. Sanii has kept his formula and has improved on the quality of his production together with his vocal delivery. It is working well for him. For love songs Sanii is definitely the go-to man. I was surprised by 12 Minute Prayer which portrays Sanii in a very very different light as he talked to 'The Man upstairs'. He asks for forgiveness for all his sins and actually mentions a bit of what he has experienced. It is touching. Even though i have heard Pauri Ndaperera for a while now it still sounded fresh and it's a great inclusion to the album.

I think this is one of the finest productions i have heard out of Zimbabwe. This album can compete internationally by all standards and i would love to see one of Sanii's videos make it on Channel O to open doors for him. For the level of talent he possesses we have a lot more coming our way. I was surprised by the inclusion of Vulela & Usadaro which helped him rise to fame. I love these songs but comparing the quality of his new songs and these, unfortunately they don't quite match up. I do understand that he most likely did it for fans who might have missed these earlier hits. Maybe remixes would have been better, at least that is my opinion. All said and done, Acoustic is a beautiful album, possibly Sanii's best release yet.

Cover Art - 8/10 (Loving it)
Music - 8/10
Mixing & Mastering - 7/10
'I Like' Factor - 7/10

Chamhembe Revolution - Take 5ive & Various Artists (2008)

The mention of the word 'chamhembe' is associated with Zimbabwe's most dominant crop of Urban Groove artists in the past 5 years. Most of the artists have moved on to other recording studios but still strongly associate with the name itself. Chamhembe Revolution is the third compilation out of That Squad Studios a.k.a Chamhembe.

The 'revolution' is all about reinventing Chamhembe without the Roki's, the ExQue's, the Leonard Mapfumo's and so on. The album intro is a recap of some of Chamhembe's most popular offerings like Waenda by Tererai Mugwadi, Nyeredzi by Taurai, Mazirudo by ExQue featuring Adonis and Wakaenda by Ngonie Kambarami to mention a few. Take it as the explanation that Chamhembe is a new crew altogether. The production combo of Take 5ive and TBA is also done and dusted so Take 5ive is soley responsible for this project. The opening track is Baby Don't Go by Kevie which is a smooth RnB ballad about a man who wronged a girl and is asking her to stay. The song is already very popular with a video to the remix featuring The Untouchables produced by Nqo a.k.a Encore. It can be easily mistaken for an American RnB song by Neyo. It's quite a good track.

My song of the album is Nhasi KuneParty by Alexio featuring producer Take 5ive which is a great party song where Alexio gives us his smooth vocals on a bouncy beat. I thought it would be a bit out of Alexio's depth considering that it is more of a dancehall beat but he did well to still maintain his style that many have grown to love. I also liked Hondo and Zvinhu 10 by Stunner. Stunner is definitely one of the best Urban rappers around and his style and wittiness remain mostly unmatched by anyone in the genre. Zvinhu 10 is about the 10 things a certain girl does for Stunner that make him love her. The skits on the album are not as funny as i expected and that's no surprise seeing that Inspectah Fakasimbi (Carlos the Entertainer) is no longer part of the crew. One track that is set to do very well is Inumber Yami by DJ Fizo which is a great kwaito/house track. Nothing much to the song in terms of lyrics but it's great for the dancefloor and parties.

I like the diverse genres shown by the artists and they are testimony to Take 5ive's production prowess. Look out for the track Mangwana by Kevie, i hear its doing very well on the airwaves. This album is by far nowhere near the Chamhembe of old and i dont believe it will make much of an impact like Chamhembe Volume 1 and Chamhembe Plus. There are no real exceptional tracks but the plus is most are definitely listenable. I think Take 5ive is trying a new formula and should maybe try to recreate the success of the older projects. I was disappointed to say the least because i expected more.

Music - 6/10
Mixing & Mastering - 6/10
'I Like' factor - 5/10

Kevie featuring The Untouchables - Baby Don't Go

Move To Da Beat - MC Mighty(2008)

MC Mighty's album has been a long awaited debut since he gave us the single Waa Dem Want on the ever so popular Insecurity Riddim produced by Zimbabwe's own dancehall star Melvin C. Since then he has released more singles like Gyal Wyne which was a club hit in and around Ireland followed by Jah By My Side on the Konzeresa Riddim (the first official Riddim compilation from Zimbabwe).

After giving it a listen i can say this album is energetic and the title 'Move To Da Beat' is appropriate. This energy is prevalent throughout the album pretty much from start to finish. The opening self-titled track 'MC Mighty' has a thumping bassline and a catchy flute to lead. The singjay proclaims his intention to enter our minds and dancefloors in order to stay and give you something different. In short MC Mighty announces his arrival. One thing is for sure, his style is definitely different from the typical Zimbabwean dancehall artist. To make a good impact and carve a name for yourself you do need to give people what they do not hear everyday. The title track Move To Da Beat is a bouncy track and can do well on the airwaves given a chance. Having said that, it applies to many tracks on this album.

Bruk Out is a true party tune and i would like to see it do well on the charts. It is guaranteed to make many many people dance. The ability to hold a track without a collaboration is what i like about MC Mighty, he can do that. The collaborations on this album are top notch like the mellow Summer Vibe featuring the lovely Jennifer Hurley. If ever he decides to do a video this one should be a contender. Miss Hurley is an immense talent and gives this song an exceptional edge. Hold Ya Head Up is a great song which sets to inspire anyone and everyone who might be going through a tough time to stay strong. I particularly like this song because of the message, the lyrical content is great as a message to the younger people of today who need the guidance. Same goes for the gem Why where MC Mighty raises some very serious questions about the world we live in.

I think the album is well balanced and production-wise is definitely high class. Also watch out for Let's Party featuring Jennifer Hurley & Rave It Up. I think One and Only was a bit 'off' vocally, it really did not tickle my fancy and maybe the chorus would have been best sung by someone else. This album is definitely of commercial appeal and will catch the attention of the younger generation. The type of music is dancehall with a mixture of hip hop beats and a pop influence that makes it easy to cross boarders reaching out to people of different backgrounds. On a Zimbabwean scale, it is one of the best Zim dancehall albums around.

Cover Art - 6/10
Music - 7/10
Mixing & Mastering - 7/10
I Like Factor - 7/10

Get the album here:
http://www.payloadz.com/go/sip/?id=503981