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Comfort Manyame

Stanely Mushava Arts Correspondent
Contemporary Christian musician Comfort Manyame’s fourth album “Worship in the Secret Place” recently hit the local market. The latest offering presents a refreshing, new sound, mediated for cross-continental influences with an overall great worship experience.
The 10-track album features well-executed efforts including “Mwari Wedu Mukuru,” “Who is Like Thee,” “Adonai,” Secret Place” and “Abba Father”.

Manyame told The Herald Entertainment that most of the songs were conceived during worship sessions at church and his prayer room hence the title “Worship in the Secret Place.”

“The album is all about pure and consecrated worship where the primary, indeed, the only focus of the music is to celebrate God,” said Manyame.

“The secret place is a place where there are no distractions, the place where you are not worried about the next person because the song you are singing is not directed to people but to God.

“I derived the title from Jesus’ teaching on prayer when he says to go into the secret place where there are no third parties.

“‘Worship in the Secret Place’ is therefore at once a call and a prescription to worship not just publicly but in the secret place where the experience is real.

“There is no amount of public worship that can make up for the secret place experience since worship ideally starts and ends with God,” he said.

Most of the tracks were recorded in Texas except for three which were partly recorded with Andrew Baird at Orangotang Studios in South Africa.

The rest of the album was produced by Tremier Msipa. Rumbi Sengwayo and Margaret Motsage, a founding member of Joyous Celebration, are featured on backing vocals.

Manyame recorded his first album “Canaan” featuring the hit song “Akatida Jesu” in 2001 while he was a student at University of Zimbabwe where he was also the music director of the AFM campus fellowship.

He subsequently released “Buruka” and “Durura” in the U.S where he read for his PhD and is currently working as a geographic information systems expert.

Manyame is also the worship pastor at his church. One of the songs to look out for is “Amazing God” a collaboration with new gospel sensation. It is co-authored and performed with Janet Manyowa, featuring Primrose Sengwayo.