Zimpapers Logo

Fred Zindi Music
The gods of good advice must be working very closely with Jah Prayzah.

After last week’s event which was attended by Vice President Mnangagwa and Minister Chris Mutsvangwa where Jah Prayzah showed us all the highest bar that can be reached in album launches, he is set for another launch in May 2016.

A brief chat with the superstar during the launch of his sixth album, ‘Jerusarema’, revealed that he is already working on a new album which will be launched next year.

Jah Prayzah became the envy of many a musician on the 22nd May when he showcased his album launch in style at the HICC in front over 4,000 fans. Musicians present included Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, Sulumani Chimbetu, Trevor Dongo, Dino Mudondo, BaShupi, Albert Nyathi, Cynthia Mare, Bernadette, Mudiwa, Sandra Ndebele, Edith WeUtonga, Tehn Diamond, Sebastian Magacha and many more.

The album has been out for only one week but I am told it has already sold over 10,000 copies. In that same week, all radio stations were awash with songs from ‘Jerusarema’. Patience Musa and Kimble Rogers from ZiFm radio station are finding it hard to resist playing tunes from this album.

However, something must be done about the pirates who are already active on the streets busy reaping from what they did not sow.

The rising superstar who started from humble beginnings when he recorded “Sungano Yerudo” in 2009, then “Gochi Gochi” in 2012 which was followed by the monster album “Tsviriyo” which featured Dr Oliver Mtukudzi on “Sisiriya”. “Tsviriyo” which won him four NAMA awards in different categories in 2014, propelled Jah Prayzah’s career to dizzy heights. The video to this album featured who is who in Zimbabwe’s music business. Apart from Dr Mtukudzi, it also featured Charles Charamba, AlickMacheso, Kapfupi, Peter Moyoand ProgressChipfumo. That alone shows you how efficiently the JP public relations team works.

Recently, the superstar did a duo with Jamaican star, Luciano in a song titled “Roots” which is also featured on the “Jerusarema” album.

The two MCs for the album launch night, Zi-FM’s Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa and Themba Mkanda proved their mettle with maximum enthralling gimmicks as they showed the crowd what entertainment is all about.

Themba, as usual, went into his unintelligible gibberish for which he is well known, but the crowd loved it. Ruvheneko, on the other hand, moved into the crowd choosing to talk to hand-picked celebrities and throwing some jollifying remarks. Both DJs set the house on fire!

Everything at Jah Prayzah’s album launch worked like clockwork. The only organisational conundrum witnessed was the inordinate delay in following the programme which we had been given in advance of the event.

The first act was supposed to start at 6pm but by 8.30pm, Bernadette M’s performance had not yet begun. It was not until 10p.m. that Cynthia Mare, who had been scheduled to perform at 7.45pm delivered her scintillating set as she churned out “Dai Zvaibvira” and “Zuva Rimwe” to an appreciative audience.

After a brief speech by Savanna Tobacco executive Douglas Mamvura, whose company was responsible for sponsoring the event, Sulumani Chimbetu came on stage and delivered his set. On the second song, Jah Prayzah, decked out in an impeccable army outfit, made an entrance to the stage and the crowd was ecstatic. Another duet with Dr Oliver Mtukudzi sent the crowd into a wilder frenzy. As expected, everyone was up on their feet. Christopher Mutsvangwa, the Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans could not resist this magic moment which must have reminded him of his Mbare roots. Like a typical ghetto youth, he jumped onto the stage and danced his heart out, much to the delight of the cheering crowd. His wife, Monica remained seated and simply watched her husband’s acrobatic feats from a distance.

Sulumani signed off with ‘Nyuchi’, a song in which he imitated Soul Jah Love’s voice to perfection.

The guest of honour on this night was Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by his wife,Auxilia.

Vice President, Mnangagwa congratulated Jah Prayzah on his achievement and encouraged him to continue doing the good work which would make him Zimbabwe’s future legend, just like Dr Mtukudzi.

“You are so creative, I have never been to a concert or anything of this nature in the past but I am so happy to see you perform very well,” he said.

“I have been given this honour to launch this sixth album but am so happy to see the guru Oliver Mtukudzi here to celebrate with you. We made Jah Prayzah our ambassador for the defence forces and he has done great work. We are proud of you,” he added.

Jah Prayzah is not only the ambassador for the defence forces, but is also the brand ambassador for Pacific Tobacco.

Dr Mtukudzi, who had been given a platform to speak, gave some fatherly advice to the 27-year-old Jah Prayzah saying, “Makorokoto, ramba wakadaro, ramba wakatarisa mberi kwaurikuenda. Zvakawanda zvinouya, zvinotaurwa nezvichanyorwa.ndonzira yacho usacheuke ramba wakatarisa mberi.” (“Congratulations! Keep it up and stay focused. A lot of things will happen, a lot will be said and written about you. That is the way,But don’t lose hope. Keep pushing forward!”)

It was now time to auction the album, ‘Jerusarema’. The Vice President set the parameters by declaring that the album should be sold for at least $500.

Trevor Dongo offered $600 but Douglas Mamvura thought that was too little and offered $2,000. The King of Selfies, flamboyant businessman-cum-politician, Phillip Chiyangwa, outshone all of them by offering two stands, one in Harare valued at $12,000 and another in Kariba, worth $15,000, making a total of $27,000.

At around midnight, The 3rd Generation Band, all donned in elegant military tunic outfits raided the stage and started strutting out their stuff.

3rd Generation Band laid out some sinister sounding harder rocking licks behind Jah Prayzah who shouted “Masoja muriko here uko?” “Mabhebhi muriko here uko?”“Ko Boys dzangu muriko here uko?” as the crowd responded with “Eeheh!” and he went on to pronounce, “Heavy! Heavy!” before picking up his mbira and belting into “Jerusarema”.

After that we were treated to snippets of songs from the new accomplished and eloquent11 track album which included ‘Eriza’, ‘Tiise Maoko’ ‘Ndoenda’ ‘Dairo’, ‘Vanorodza Museve’ ‘Zuma’, ‘Zenze’, ‘Taura’ ‘Chinamira’ and ‘Roots’.

The album exemplifies the difference between “influenced by” and “sounds like”. There are songs in it which one would suspect the heavy influences of other artistes. For instance in ‘Ndoenda’, one cannot help thinking that Tuku would have been happy to collaborate with Jah on this track. It sounds just like the Black Spirits here.

‘Roots’ was a collaboration with Jamaican reggae artiste, Luciano and it followed a typical Jamaican riddim with Luciano singing in English while Jah did the Shona version.

Jah Prayzah lionises his own sound in the title track, “Jerusarema” where the laid-back bass guitar defines typical Third Generation style, a song which opens up with Jah’s mbira-playing antics.

The crowd, after hearing snippets from the new album during the launch, began to wonder when Jah Prayzah was going to perform the songs they were familiar with: songs such as “Gochi Gochi”, “Tsviriyo” and “Kumbumura Mhute”. However, the powerful rhythm of Jah Prayzah’s “Ngoda” began to add tension and ferocity before the crowd started singing along and looping into “Anoti go gogo. Ane shangu dzinorira. Akati mbambamba kupfeka mbatya dzinobata” during which Jah Prayzah’s emphatic flashes of mbira playing stunned the sold out crowd while the rest of the band and dancers comprising Blessing Moyo (bass guitarist), Kudakwashe Masango, Darlington Kamukono (backing vocalist), Wesley Sayikonda (drummer), Biggie Katuka (keyboard player), Braveman Chizvino (lead guitarist), Fatima Katiji (Edith WeUtonga’s sister) (backing vocalist and Dancer), Talent Karombe (dancer) and Elvis Chinounda (dancer) gave a stomping performance.

The band’s performance came to a peak when Jah Prayzah invited fellow musicians onto the stage to do their own renditions on the backing track laid out by Third Generation. These included Tehn Diamond, Mudiwa, BaShupi, Cynthia Mare, Dino Mudondo, Albert Nyathi, Sandra Ndebele, Trevor Dongo, Sebastian Magacha and Edith WeUtonga-Katiji who also had a stint on the bass guitar.

Jah Prayzah gave a splendid album launch. I spoke to him after the performance and he assured me that this is going to be a traditional yearly event just like HIFA from now on as he is already working on the next album for next year’s launch.

It is difficult for any music enthusiast, like myself, to let this massive “Jerusarema” album pass under your radar as all the 11 tracks are gems which will soon become some of your favourites. The album has a message for everyone.

Commenting on the “Jerusarema” album, Blessing Ivan Vava, publicist at Chimurenga Music Company, had this to say:

“I have nothing against Jah Prayzah. In fact, we are good buddies and we worked well before and I must admit he is hard-working and talented as well. However I think he is rushing to release albums without giving himself enough time to polish and refine his productions. Jerusarema could have been better.”

I disagree. “Jerusarema” is a good product.

Dr Mutukudzi is 63 years old and he has released 63 albums some of which could have been rushed.

Assuming he started recording at 20, he has done 63 albums in 43 years which the public love. What is wrong with that?

If an artiste is inspired to record when he feels it, let him do so. It is how the public will receive this inspiration that matters. As for me, I receive “Jerusarema” whole heartedly. Indeed, Jah Prayzah is a hard act to follow. Please do not ask me what the title of the next album is going to be.

Even Jah Prayzah does not know it yet.