First Love launches Asante album on Christmas Eve

By Sebidde Kiryowa First Love's manager Ronnie Mayanja recently said about the group's pending new CD: "First Love is out to create a greater impact on the music industry in the region. If you think that Gospel music has gone too far, you have not heard nothing yet 'cause First Love's up coming album Asante will leave you with the true taste of contemporary gospel music." That assertion is a gross understatement. What First Love have created with Asante is a masterpiece. This album has a little something for everybody. The fact that it is Gospel notwithstanding, it attempts to reflect the diversity which compromises of the whole East African region. This CD will be launched on December 24 at Kampala Pentecostal Church (KPC) at 4.00 pm. Entrance to their launch is sh3000. Exploiting their song-writing skills and production dexterity of such young notable producers as Steve Jean and group members Paul Kim and Fred Walusimbi, the group delivers such show-stopping and phenomenal tracks as the opening Jesu. Sang in French and rapped in a sugary Kassav-like Afro Caribbean Zouk style. This track utilises the writing and translation skills of group leader Paul Kim and Pastor Mark Kigozi respectively. Should I Say Yes also penned by Paul Kim is an uptempo cut that throws old-school funk, newjack swing and hip-hop soul all in one pot, mixes them up with a spice of rap from new kids on the rap block Klear Kut, stirs and cooks. The flavour invented is, well, luscious. The lovable Bayete Nkosi (Zulu for Lord of Lords) takes on a Socca/ Calypso style, once again portraying the astounding production skills of Paul Kim. But the track to watch out for is Tumsify (Swahili for 'Let's Praise Him'). A conceivably painstaking piece of work, this song is done in the Tarab style, a style popular with coastal people. The upbeat song ends with a slow paced interlude of urban pop. Klear Kut, whose smooth flow of dope rap rhymes cleverly is adapted to First Love's Christian lyrical content, feature prominently on the next two tracks. On the old Runyakore revival song Mwijje, readapted by Olivia Mbabazi, Klear Kut's Abba "Lungman" Lung's jolts with a kicking opening verse that suddenly brings this urban pop/R&B cut to life. The rap trio's presence on Sirina, a Luganda song lends it that much-needed youthful appeal. Meanwhile, the three songs released off the album are so far doing heavy circulation on radio. Malaika, their rendition of South African legendary Miriam Makeba's song, features Kaweesa on rap. This song is an intriguing blend of old school soul and Afrocentric beats. The rest are the mellow My Everything and the self-titled First Love, both urban R&B cuts. Ends.