So what if Semakula’s new song sounds like classic Shauri Yako?
Mar 17, 2005
Mesach Semakula, the rail thin musician with an enchanting smoky voice, is one of the best
Mesach Semakula, the rail thin musician with an enchanting smoky voice, is one of the best young musicians on the local music scene today, writes Joseph Batte.
As the curtain was being lifted on 2005, he dropped another bomb in Abakazi Abaguma (patient women). His latest outing has set the country on fire again.
When he launched it at Hotel Africana, he reaped a bumper harvest when a mammoth crowd turned up. Women fans screamed like they had been attacked by a swarm of bees. They were screams of delight though.
Listening to Abakazi Abaguma explains why. Semakula tried to break new music ground by moving away from the keyboard-sketched music to a live sound. “He sounds like Afrigo,†fans fumed. Yes, some Afrigo influences can be spotted on it.
However, he looked elsewhere for inspiration. He mined the classical sound of Kenya’s early 80s super group, Les Wanyika, especially their timeless classic, Shauri Yako to power his mid-temple title track, Abakazi Abaguma. Nothing criminal about that. Sweden-based Sammy Kasule and Congo’s Tabu Ley Rochereux recorded the same song in English in early 80s.
Late Cool James of Tanzania gave the same Shauri Yako song heavy hip-hop kicks behind and scored an international hit. He again packed another punch with mid-tempo Beekengere, which also seems to ride on another Les Wanyika’s Asila Zanini Wataka Kuniwuwa grooves.
On this track, guitars echo off amidst the rattle of live drums and horns.
He wrote this cut after the harrowing experience the Eagles Production Band suffered at the British Embassy in their bid to get visas to the UK last year. Finally, they were given visas on the day the they were supposed to fly out! On Ssiggwe Ansiimila, Semakula advises a woman who tried to seduce him. When he turned her down, she vented her frustration on his wife.
“Back off,†sings Semakula, as he gives her other harsh lessons concerning matters of the heart. Another track that kept my head nodding from start to finish is happy-go-lucky Bongoish Onsuulira nyo. In my opinion, the only track that really doesn’t sparkle on this album is Siggwe Ansimila.
Although it hints at zouk, the bass is so annoyingly repetitive. Another dud instrumentation can be found on written Gospel-flavoured Kankuntendereze. That said, the melodies are engaging rhythmically. He proves again that he is by far the most observant and eloquent songwriter, whose songs go way beyond the common chit-chat that his contemporaries churn out.
Once again, he has brought considerable happiness to his fans with this new album. To me, it doesn’t matter whether he ‘stole,’ I mean ‘borrowed,’ Les Wanyika’s Shauri Yako, Abakyala Abaguma, is a welcome breather.
As the curtain was being lifted on 2005, he dropped another bomb in Abakazi Abaguma (patient women). His latest outing has set the country on fire again.
When he launched it at Hotel Africana, he reaped a bumper harvest when a mammoth crowd turned up. Women fans screamed like they had been attacked by a swarm of bees. They were screams of delight though.
Listening to Abakazi Abaguma explains why. Semakula tried to break new music ground by moving away from the keyboard-sketched music to a live sound. “He sounds like Afrigo,†fans fumed. Yes, some Afrigo influences can be spotted on it.
However, he looked elsewhere for inspiration. He mined the classical sound of Kenya’s early 80s super group, Les Wanyika, especially their timeless classic, Shauri Yako to power his mid-temple title track, Abakazi Abaguma. Nothing criminal about that. Sweden-based Sammy Kasule and Congo’s Tabu Ley Rochereux recorded the same song in English in early 80s.
Late Cool James of Tanzania gave the same Shauri Yako song heavy hip-hop kicks behind and scored an international hit. He again packed another punch with mid-tempo Beekengere, which also seems to ride on another Les Wanyika’s Asila Zanini Wataka Kuniwuwa grooves.
On this track, guitars echo off amidst the rattle of live drums and horns.
He wrote this cut after the harrowing experience the Eagles Production Band suffered at the British Embassy in their bid to get visas to the UK last year. Finally, they were given visas on the day the they were supposed to fly out! On Ssiggwe Ansiimila, Semakula advises a woman who tried to seduce him. When he turned her down, she vented her frustration on his wife.
“Back off,†sings Semakula, as he gives her other harsh lessons concerning matters of the heart. Another track that kept my head nodding from start to finish is happy-go-lucky Bongoish Onsuulira nyo. In my opinion, the only track that really doesn’t sparkle on this album is Siggwe Ansimila.
Although it hints at zouk, the bass is so annoyingly repetitive. Another dud instrumentation can be found on written Gospel-flavoured Kankuntendereze. That said, the melodies are engaging rhythmically. He proves again that he is by far the most observant and eloquent songwriter, whose songs go way beyond the common chit-chat that his contemporaries churn out.
Once again, he has brought considerable happiness to his fans with this new album. To me, it doesn’t matter whether he ‘stole,’ I mean ‘borrowed,’ Les Wanyika’s Shauri Yako, Abakyala Abaguma, is a welcome breather.