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

BKay & Kazz - Boomslang (2009)

BKay and Kazz have been on this musical journey for a while now. These 2 brothers have grown from strength to strength. I remember seeing their video for Ndikati Hello on Channel O 4 years ago without a clue who they were. Now they reign as ambassadors for Zimbabwe through their brilliant work. They released their debut album, In The Beginning, 5 years ago and it was more for the Zimbabwean and Malawian markets where their roots lie. Boomslang is their first international release and their approach is different from last time around.

Don't Stop opens up the 16 track Boomslang album with an infectious rhythm that will have you dancing. It is a dancehall track with a very commercially acceptable aspect about it such that you don't have to be a dancehall fan to enjoy it. These guys sing real music and the song relates to their will to succeed. I Wanna Get Loved is impressive. The vocal abilities that these guys have will surprise you and it is also part of what makes them so versatile. The inclusion of Ndikati Hello is one i did not expect but given that among Zimbabweans it is their most popular track and this being an international release they wanted to show that they have come a long way. Despite the track being old it by no means compromises the quality of this album and it rates highly. Decibel did his thing very well here! The same goes for Senorita concerning it being on their debut but it sounds so good i thought i was hearing it for the first time.

There are quite a few songs with videos here and i am hoping these guys come out with a DVD album as well. You Know It's Right is one of the songs with a video. This song is great, well composed, well sung and well put together. The video? Awesome! Whatever formula these guys are using it is definitely working. You Know It's Right has 2 versions here and they are both good. We played The Music Drive on our podcasts and the reception speaks for itself. The track is just massive. A definite banger and the dancehall baseline that accompanies the powerful vocals led me to have this song on repeat. It features Decibel and the man has not lost his touch at all. Of the whole album Amina Kadeya is my favourite. The way they took an old nursery school game and made it into a dance track is genius. VanaWezhira from Masvingo are talented, jealous down hama dzangu! I tip this to be one of the party regulars in 2010.

BKay & Kazz are some of the hardest working artists around and their album proves it. A lot of the songs on this offering were released as singles. Other songs to look out for include Wynd With Me, Leave Me Alone and Crazy Baby. I really liked this album from start to finish and i could change with the mood of the album without feeling robbed of any quality and so forth. There is something in there for everyone. I found very little fault to this album, it leaves you satisfied with your purchase.

Get the album here: http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/56603725-bkay-kazz (mp3 album) and iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/boomslang/id340251008

Cover Art - 8/10
Music - 8/10
Technical Sound - 7/10
'I Like Factor' - 8/10

Shumba DJs - Tambayi Funky Anthems (2009)

Zimbabwean house music hasn't quite established itself compared to the other youthful genres. Having noted that, the genre is experiencing an exciting time after the success of the Native Flash and Zim DJ albums with hits such as Jobho (Remix) and House of Stone. Shumba DJs are relatively new to the scene 'by name' but with years of experience as DJs on the local and international stage. For this debut offering they have teamed up with Beatovenz on a 5 album deal.

The album opens up with One of These Days which is a dance classic. The song adopts a sound that house lovers would instantly connect with and would light up dancefloors across the world without fail. The song maintains the same tempo throughout with some excellent use of the bongo which makes the song very catchy. Zvamauya Zvanaka is a feel good song about how our relations with friends and family mean a lot to us. It explores the euphoria of seeing loved ones after a long time and the joys of rediscovering that closeness. The song is well sung as well. Tambai made me think of the days when kwaito was still the real deal when artists like M'du, Arthur, Abashante and B.O.P were churning out hits on a regular basis. It has that 'old school' feel to it. I felt the same way listening to Happy Birthday where Primrose Gwata sang her lungs out! I am guessing these guys must have been kwaito/digong fans at some point.

Wynd For Me by BKay and Kazz is the first song from this album that came out some time back. The song is a straight banger and BKay and Kazz (anaWezhira, Masvingo Massive!) are definitely among some of Zimbabwe's best exports within the diaspora. They prove this without a doubt on this tracks singing about the beauty of a girl who is on the dancefloor who is looking lonely. These guys surely know how to hype up a track and with the Shumba DJs producing a well worked beat this is a collaboration at its best. On My Way sounded experimental and leans more to the techno side of music. It's not really my taste but the composition is still good. Mandela The Great was a very meaningful contribution highlighting that even when we have fun there are sons and daughters who have helped Africa to become what it is today. Their call for Africa to unite is one that many artists should consider. Loved the female vocals on this song.

All in all this 17 track offering is a testimony of what talent, hard work and experience can give you. Besides the songs already mentioned i greatly enjoyed the song Kumusha. Many of us outside Zimbabwe can relate to this song. I believe the number of tracks on this album could have been cut down to a good 12 - 14. That way they would have taken the very best tracks as one or two cuts are rather luke warm. For a debut these guys did well regardless and it's a worthy purchase. I believe Zimbabwean House is truly taking shape and any house music lovers this one is for you. Great work guys!

Get the album here: http://www.zimvibes.com and http://www.vangodzatunes.com

Cover Art - 5/10
Music - 7/10
Technical Sound - 6.5/10
'I Like' Factor - 7/10