Music Reviews: Njalwala REMIX – Aaronx FT Sheebah

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KAMPALA - So somebody out there went and got Sheebah to sing. You are probably wondering what I am talking about and what she’s been doing all this time. 

Well, in my view, Sheebah mostly acts as her own hype man during her songs. Seriously.

And there’s her performance on Aaronx’s “Njalwala”, where she is simply in inspired form, harmonizing like her life depends on it. It was probably inevitable – Aaron is an amazing singer, and the song is beautifully crafted. 

There is a shocking shortage of musically inclined male singers in our local music-pop scene. We have some amazing instrumentalists, yes.

The rest are mostly hype men. 

Off-head, the male artistes whose first attribute is their vocals are people like Maurice Kirya, Sam Kimera, Kenneth Mugabi, and Ssensamba. 

Bebe Cool hasn’t sung anything in a while and is mostly about how hyper he can get, Chameleone is mostly about charisma and energy, and Bobi Wine is mostly an average singer with a capacity for connecting with society. 

Oh, and if you are thinking of the lads from B2C, they are talented but are incredibly aimless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24AWQDwKB_Q 

So Aaron is a welcome breath of fresh air, and so is how he executes “Njalwala”. The production goes for a slow rhumba swing, led by some delightful percussion and acoustic guitar. The harmonies are angelic, and deliciously retro.

When Sheebah joins, she is almost unrecognizable, slipping effortlessly into the song’s syrupy style. 

“Njalwala” is a seductive love song, and this gives Sheebah an entry point that she embraces with ease.  

There is a tempo break in the song where she amps things up a bit, but this doesn’t last too long, and soon she is back in the song’s sultry rhythm.

The chemistry of these two on this track is palpable – this is a remix version, so obviously, Sheebah’s people heard the song and thought it would be a good idea. 

It was a good idea, showing off a versatility from the artiste we were not aware she had.

“Njalwala” is a great bit of music, but mostly, it introduces us to Aaronx and shows us a side of Sheebah we needed to see.