Shamie - The Journey (2010)

Shamie Mabvudzi is one of the pioneer urbanites after engraving his name in Urban Grooves history as one half of the Shame and Nathan duo which gave us hits like Aripo, Hazvinei and featured on ExQ's single Pandakakuona. Years later and Shamie (changed from Shame) comes back to the forefront with a solo album entitled 'The Journey' (self explanatory!).

From the first listen it is without a doubt that Shamie comes through with a new dose of maturity and engages in live instruments to enhance his new sound. Usandisiye opens up this album and as the title suggests he is begging a current flame to stay with him at all costs because his heart simply cannot take the heartache that comes with it. There is slight use of the autotune effect which many might not even pick up on, good thing is it does not disrupt the flow of the song at all. One of my favourite tunes from this offering is Huya which we played on the Radio Kunakirwa Edition in May. It received mixed reviews from the listeners, most being positive so Shamie is definitely on the right path. This is a song about forgiveness (or at least asking for it) and touches on relationship shortcomings. Huya showcases Shamie's strength in catchy lyrics that many can relate to.

Uhambo is a slow tempo duet with Linda Mali and the lady is very talented to say the least. Her vocals were so smooth and they married the beat to perfection. In it's own way it's the track that carries the title for this album and centres on trials and tribulations faced in the quest for success in life. Iwewe for me is the stand out tune on this album, the beat is a catchy fusion of different styles and the chorus is an easy sing along. Given the option to choose, this is my pick for a potential hit on this album. Mid-way through the song Shamie uses a very well worked saxophone and it elevates the song to new heights. Kudos for the good singing as well. The depth of Torai really left me thinking about how delicate life is. the refrain goes something like this:

"Torai zvenyu, torai zvenyu nguva yangu yakwana"

It is so simple but he gives a perspective to life that we often overlook on a day to day basis. It's a well worked song to top that off.

The Journey shows the many sides to Shamie as a musician. He shows his versatility in experimenting with different genres like Jazz, RnB, House and AfroPop while maintaining the mood of the whole album. Vocally, Shamie is no TK Paradza, Trevor Dongo or Sanii Makhalima but uses his voice to his strengths so you will hardly catch him out of the zone he knows which is good. All else being constant, the disappointment of this album is in the mixing and mastering. Some instances provided muffled sound, slightly noisy clashes and the overall vocal mixing was not quite uniform. This is the one let down of this album and it being potentially the most important technical aspect of the final product it leaves a lot to be desired. It limits the potential of the album greatly in a competitive market where quality is becoming more and more prevalent. I hope that on the next release Shamie can switch gears concerning that. All in all, this is a decent offering that can grow on you.

Cover Art - 7/10
Music - 6/10
Technical Sound - 5/10
'I Like' Factor - 6/10

Xtra Large - Xtraordinary (2010)

I mentioned in previous reviews that 2010 is 'one of those great years' and without a doubt, with most albums coming to my attention serving as testimony to that. 'Maroja' continue on their path of Xtra hard work with another release. Dare i say we were not even over One Drop yet and they come back with 'Xtraordinary' to increase their tally to 6.

Super producer MacDee does his magic throughout this brand new offering. Muti Wemusango has done the rounds on PowerFM and it made it's debut on the podcasts with a bang. The song is pure genius. It borders on Afro-pop with some infectious ethnic sounds and a well sung hook by MacDee. Did i mention the song concept? Well they say muti wemusango haungautore kuita muchero wepamba which literally means you can not take a wild fruit and make it cultivated fruit at home. Expanded: You can never domesticate a wild animal. Further expanded: If you marry a woman of loose morals, do not expect her to uphold marital values over her own urges. They take a comic side to a real issue and give great advice to single guys out there, be careful who you walk down that isle with. They continue to give advice on Zvarova which again is the work of masterminds with MacDee blessing the track with vocal magic on the hook. On this one Jimmy and Normara are ghosts who are complaining about how they were taken for granted when they were alive but now their family and friends want to constantly bring flowers to the grave as if they cared to begin with. It's a well worked take on how we should appreciate our parents for who they are to us. I enjoy the social commentary even though the issue at hand is quite serious and worth a moment of consideration.

The hit single High Rate makes an appearance on Xtraordinary and it touches on people who have made a fortune from forex deals on the street. There was a time when police back home were hunting down vanaChange Money (forex dealers) who were dealing in 'high rates'. I love the melody to the song, you could well dance your feet off! One of the hottest cuts off this album is Ndoshamisika featuring Nembo Bwoy, Sizara and musala wemuZimbabwe uyu ExQue. This one is a banger of all sorts on a love tip. The line up is massive and the beat is thumping. I was rolling on the floor with laughter after the Mbiradzakondo Season II skit which is a continuation of the one from the Still At Large album. These guys are creative i tell you!

Xtraordinary is Maroja at their finest and even though we might think we know what to expect, they still manage to reinvent themselves year in year out. They thrive on killer collabos and their ability to turn any situation into a light-hearted affair. I will mention this (not sure if i have already done so concerning Xtra Large), an album every year is great to keep the skills sharp but they are not giving us time to let their material grow on us. We are OD'ing infact. Zimbos generally take time to follow up on songs/albums and with us in the diaspora almost always picking the fruit from the ground you wonder why they don't take more time to push their albums so that they reach a wider audience. I would like to see the Muti Wemusangos and Zvarovas become household hits like the classic Uri Roja, that people of all ages can sing along to. We were hardly over songs like Tsano and Kukura Hakutane. Other tracks to watch out for are Kuzokutora and Madzibaba featuring Sniper. All in all, thumbs up Maroja, this is brilliant work. Easily one of the best albums this year.

Cover Art - 6/10
Music - 8/10
Technical Sound - 7.5/10
'I Like' Factor - 8.5/10

ExQue - For The Grown & Sexy (2008)

ExQue is back in 2008 with his third full length album entitled 'For The Grown & Sexy' after the okayish 'Love Is My Religion'. Ngapawanewo munhu anomubatsira pamaTitle emaAlbum ake nhai (lol just jokes).

This album is a much anticipated offering considering that ExQue is one of the most successful Urban Groovers from the genres early days. I was looking forward to hearing what ExQue has to say this time around and err... ummmm... nothing has really changed. He uses the same production team from his last album of mainly Russo and MacDee. This one opens up with Mupewo Rudo, the hit song featuring Leonard Mapfumo & MacDee. The song is about a love so good that it eclipses the union of Gospel stars Baba naMai Charamba, Oliver naDaisy Mtukudzi or anyone else who thinks their love is potentially stronger. It is already a hit song featuring on the PowerFM charts this year and currently in the Top 10. The lyrics left my jaws on the floor with lyrics like 'zvinonakidza kuSatisfaya mukadzi, uchimuita yese uchimuspaka mukadzi, uchimukissa kissa uchimuFeeda nerudo... mudzimai ari sensitive, mudzimai ane maPressure points'. Murudo is one of my favourite songs on this offering which also made it to the charts early on in the year. This one features Zimbabwean songstress Tererai Mugwadi and the melody is just beautiful. Thumbs up to this tune! Handidi Newe features musical comedians Xtra Large. It is great to hear Xtra Large still making me laugh after all these years.

ExQue mostly maintains the same sleepish rap that made him popular over the years with the love songs that sometimes leave you wishing you were in a relationship. On Zvaunondiita, it is ExQue like you have never heard before and sounds like a pop song. He makes an attempt at singing (don't be fooled it's nothing to write home about) and surprisingly i was able to stomach the song though it is nowhere near my preference. Besides that it is the first single from this album and made it to the Top 100 of 2008. I could not help but wonder if ExQue is still trying to win his lost love from the last album, his songs are more about trying to win back a girl who has been wronged than anything else. Ndaramba is a track that makes me believe what i just mentioned and the instrumental reminds me of his smash single Mazirudo. I think this one is a potential hit talking about kuramba kurambwa (refusing to be dumped). Whoever this girl is apengesa ExQue shamwari wakaoma, blaz vanokuda ivava! Other songs on the album feature artists like Stunner, Taurai Mandebvu, and Junior Brown.

It is no lie that ExQue is a favourite of many and this album will do him more favours. Technically, it sounded like a rush job and it lost a lot of marks because of that. I really expected a better job especially from a producer of MacDee's calibre. For The Grown & Sexy is really more of an album for the not so grown and those who like Urban Grooves without much lyrical depth. The same formula has won him many a fan and he sticks to what he knows best: rapping about love. I have since accepted that he will never change that. It is a decent offering and to ExQue fans of old chances are you will love this one.

Music - 6/10

Technical Sound - 5/10

'I Like' Factor - 7/10

Love Is My Religion(2007) - ExQue

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By Citizen Mueski

Listening to ExQue’s new Album “Love is my Religion”, it came as no surprise that all he sings about, in every single song, are girls. It is his focus on relationships that has made him popular in the genre of urban grooves so if you are fond of his style, then this is definitely for you.

The very first thing to capture my attention about this album, was that ExQue did collaborations with seasoned artists such as Oliver Mutukudzi, Roki, Stunner and Sanni and these were the songs that I enjoyed the most as they had the most emotion and soul. The song “Ndarasikirwa” had the unmistakable touch of a Sanni love song that enriched the lyrics with a refined mellow harmony to ExQue’s laid- back rap. ExQue experimented with several new sounds in this album and I must admit, the instruments where clear and a breath of fresh air from the usual ExQue sound such as the song “Paside Pangu” and the backing vocals of songs such as Ngativake Musha” and were well done and gave great harmony to his songs. He certainly did not limit himself in the area of experimenting with new sounds and to me; this is what saved the album from being monotonous.

Speaking of monotonous, I did not need to hear the song “Paside Pangu” three times with slight differences and also as an instrumental. Exque’s lyrics constantly talk about “mazirudo” which makes his music too predictable, shallow and dare I say less appealing to the older generation. In terms of lyrics, this would be a good album to listen to if you are between the ages of 13 and 16. To anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, or who isn’t familiar with Exque’s musical talent, don’t expect too much from this album. If Exque is one of your favourite artists then you are going to enjoy this album. However, I was not at all impressed by Exque’s latest release and I give it a 4 out 10.

Off the Nitredy Dormitory Compilation 2008:

KaLife(2007) - Stunner

Mr Dhaf Korera is back in 2007 with his sophomore offering, KaLife. After the immense success of his debut album ‘Hameno’ with hits like the title track, Unondidadisa, Dhaf Korera and so on, one can only wonder how anyone can bounce back the second time around.

Muface akaipa pakubatisa maStatement mhani! The guy is gifted when it comes to witty lyrics. I wish I could say the same for his rapping style which is OK, no more than that. Lyrically he is well ahead of many Urban Groovers and that makes him one of the best on the scene at the moment. Like ‘Hameno’ this album is plastered with collaborations which gives it that versatility for the listener. Thus far Stunner gets it right; variety is indeed the spice of life. He features artists like Thulani Nyashanu Mpofu on the mellow sounding Handichada, Brian on Ndakakumirira which has a video currently doing rounds on ZTV. For the internet savvy you can check the video for Ndichakumirira out on YouTube and don’t expect much either. It was poorly done but we’ll dissect videos another time. Possibly the best collaboration on the album is Song Yangu featuring ex-Mrs Roki, Pauline a.k.a Mai Sky. The song is produced by man of the moment, MacDee with an unmistakable local sound. This song might turn a few heads and win Stunner many a fan.

The song KaLife is a deep insight into the hardships of growing up in the ghetto. All along I have known Stunner as a ‘loverboy’ (probably explained by his friendship naExQue) but undoubtedly his lyrical content has matured. With lyrics like ‘Dai Gideon Gono aigara kuDombotombo… Dai Sam Levy Village yakaiswa kuAmaveni, Dai Phillip Chiyangwa aikwira nesu makombi, zvimwe dai makombi edu achiita kunge mukati mendenge…’, you can really see how serious the issue at hand is yet not being able to resist a chuckle about his delivery. Handizi Bharanzi sees Stunner crown himself the number one local rapper, a crown he will face stiff competition and hatred for. This song alone will surely make him one of the industry’s most hated artists. Despite the good some songs were just too hard to swallow. Kusasa Newe ft Jnr Brown & Roki sounded half finished from the beat to the vocals and Mukadzi Akadai instrumental sounded like a clone of The Whisper Song by Ying Yang Twins (ko originality nhai varume?).

All said and done, it’s a good come back from Stunner and marks his intention to hang around for a very long time.

Cover Art – 1/10 (this is as bad as album covers get)
Music – 6/10
Mixing and Mastering – 6/10
‘I Like Factor’ – 5/10

Ndakakumirira ft Brian