Victor, the rare gospel singer

Oct 28, 2002

Victor Usingtho is among the rare breeds of gospel artist. Nothing gives him away. He has a disturbing disposition about him

By Sebidde Kiryowa

Victor Usingtho is among the rare breeds of gospel artist. Nothing gives him away. He has a disturbing disposition about him. He wears a weary countenance.
He is so reserved, it annoys. Yet beyond this placid exterior boils a bubbly passion for music and an overwhelming yearning to jump up in praise and worship of the Lord. Sometimes he does just that in more ways than one as his versatile 12-track debut album Thank You Lord testifies.
Uringtho is one of the few truly talented all round gospel artists that we are blessed to have in our midst. A pianist, guitarist, drummer and producer, Usingtho also has a voice that, for lack of a better word, can be descri-bed as truly remarkable. It is moderately deep, sultry and comforting. He falls in the same league with Heaven Bound’s Paul Mugarura.
Despite keeping a low profile and the fact that he just released his debut album, 29-year-old Usingtho is new to the music scene. In Christian circles, he is known for his role in African Youth Fellow-ship Band (AYF), where he has been a member since 1990. Although by his own admission, this album is no indication of his intention to break away from the band and go solo, it still stands out as a strong statement of his potential to make it as a successful artist.
Not only does he manage to come across as an accomplished producer (he produced, recorded and mastered this solely at the AYF sound room on Salaama –– Munyonyo Road), song writer and vocalist who pens most of the material on Thank You Lord, but also one who manages to excel at all skills in various styles.
Thank You Lord is a creative independent expedition dipped in spirituality and packaged in different styles of music from Afro-Caribb-ean, socca, urban contemporary (Rhythm & Blues), pra-ise and worship down to Kadongo Kamu! Victor has some soul food for everyone.
Silina Kirala the opening track is a rendition of the popular Luganda Pentecostal hymn. But Victor does things to it. Laced with danceable synthetic keyboard beats, he adds an appealing flavour to the song without altering the original tune. Even the oldest Church music lovers will nod their heads to this one without feeling alienated by the modification. The title track is a catchy afrocentric tune that could however, have used a faster tempo. Usingtho’s guitar-strumming skills come into play on I’ve Found A Friend and It Looks Right, two mellow songs that Victor performs in traditional bluegrass country style with amazing mastery. One would think he grew up listening to country superstar Tim McGraw or the Dixie Chicks.
Muvubuka, is a sharp diversion from the latter, which plunges into our own traditional Kadongo Kamu music forcefully. Usingtho performs to the precision of Dan Mugula in his hey days. The song, like all traditional Kadongo Kamu songs, capitalises on guitar, which Usingtho competently plays here. The long chatty first person narrative is not absent either. The song advises youth to come to the Lord for eternal peace of mind, but also has an autobiographical tone to it.
Yet still, Victor speaks directly to our souls when he slows the tempo in mellow praise and worship style in slow jams Best Friends and Redeemer. Perhaps the most impressive is his rendition of the hymn I Surrender. Though one gets the feeling Usingtho could have done better justice vocally, he stills gives an impressive performance. The spirituality is not lost and it is the kind of song one can close their eyes to and lose themselves in heavenly bliss.
He also proves he has what it takes to make all ye people move. With youthful verve, he launches into songs like Holy Holy Lord and Lord I Luv The Way, which feature Paul Mugarura and Peter Basaza. Both are upbeat R&B treats. The two artists also on the album’s last song Generat-ion, a dance music track. Usingtho’s album is not yet in wide distribution but available for sale at the All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero.
On his versatility he says: “I was really trying to do music that can appeal to the average listener, but also to the young and old. I also wanted to cut down on the monopoly of someone having to listen to one style of music for a whole hour.
Usingtho says Thank You Lord was a natural result of the many songs he had accumulated that could not be performed in the AYF Band. He first performed alone in 2000, when he was asked to sing a song in the All Saints Cathedral, one Sunday.
“I started thinking seriously about doing my own project. I went back and started polishing all my old songs,” he says. Usingtho hopes Thank You Lord will act as launching pad for greater things to come.

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