Ashaba SHOWS NEW STYLE IN ‘Talindeka’
Feb 23, 2006
A fair share of female musicians like Betty Namaganda, Fiona Mukasa and Betty Nakibuuka have touched many souls with their inspiring Gospel music.
By Joseph Batte
A fair share of female musicians like Betty Namaganda, Fiona Mukasa and Betty Nakibuuka have touched many souls with their inspiring Gospel music.
Somewhere in between, you can slot in another name — Phoebe Ashaba, who mostly sings about the abundant love of God in her native Runyakole, but can also belt in flawless Luganda.
Strangely, Ashaba has been around for some time. She first breezed on stage in 1996 with Mulindwa Muwonge’s defunct Nalubaale Pops. In 1999 she broke the satanic straps that were holding her in the worldly music and dedicated her life to the Lord.
Four years later, she stormed the Gospel charts with Nkabasibwaki, a smooth remake of popular Runyakole hymns adapted from the Anglican hymnbook. Since then she has been on the upswing, making serious impact on the local gospel scene with distinct vocals and a voice all her own.
In 2002, she dropped Niiwe Wangye, which featured a Luganda hit Yanganza and quickly followed it up with Tindishwala, which spawned another Luganda smasher Mukama Afaayo, which is still burning the airwaves of many Christian radio stations and secular ones like Super FM and Radio Simba.
Today, Ashaba has adjusted her style to match the current vibe and nailed it all in a six-track album titled Talindeka, which was released by Lusyn Enterprises on Market Street, Kampala recently.
Strangely, it is the things that you are expecting (and disposable) that make this album powerful. It is very easy to digest, deep and meaningful with good melodies, danceable rhythms and memorable lyrics that mean something to everybody who understands Runyakitara.
Ashaba invites the listeners to join her on a ride that can only be made smooth by God. But before you accept the invitation, be reminded to put on your dancing shoes for this album goes deep into the dance territory. It is crawling with soukous rhythms that are full of bold head-nodding factors.
Things start jumping with Ndyamuhaki, a hot dance track. On this track she relies on the words borrowed from Psalms to express the incredible goodness of God. It encourages people to trust Christ in the midst of impossible situations ‘because he is our Shepherd’.
Among the finest tracks on the album is Niiwe Muriisa, a theme of man’s vertical relationship with God. If you don’t enjoy contemporary soukous sound, traditional tunes are also on the menu. Ashaba borrowed a funky traditional beat, ekitagururo, from Ankole to power the song, but in foot-stom.
All the tracks on Talindeka are sure to minister to whatever situation you could be facing. The praise songs touting the wonders of God, wrapped in simple melodic motifs and catchy beats are bound to touch more hearts and win Ashaba more fans.
The only low point is that Ashaba sings only in Runyankole.
A fair share of female musicians like Betty Namaganda, Fiona Mukasa and Betty Nakibuuka have touched many souls with their inspiring Gospel music.
Somewhere in between, you can slot in another name — Phoebe Ashaba, who mostly sings about the abundant love of God in her native Runyakole, but can also belt in flawless Luganda.
Strangely, Ashaba has been around for some time. She first breezed on stage in 1996 with Mulindwa Muwonge’s defunct Nalubaale Pops. In 1999 she broke the satanic straps that were holding her in the worldly music and dedicated her life to the Lord.
Four years later, she stormed the Gospel charts with Nkabasibwaki, a smooth remake of popular Runyakole hymns adapted from the Anglican hymnbook. Since then she has been on the upswing, making serious impact on the local gospel scene with distinct vocals and a voice all her own.
In 2002, she dropped Niiwe Wangye, which featured a Luganda hit Yanganza and quickly followed it up with Tindishwala, which spawned another Luganda smasher Mukama Afaayo, which is still burning the airwaves of many Christian radio stations and secular ones like Super FM and Radio Simba.
Today, Ashaba has adjusted her style to match the current vibe and nailed it all in a six-track album titled Talindeka, which was released by Lusyn Enterprises on Market Street, Kampala recently.
Strangely, it is the things that you are expecting (and disposable) that make this album powerful. It is very easy to digest, deep and meaningful with good melodies, danceable rhythms and memorable lyrics that mean something to everybody who understands Runyakitara.
Ashaba invites the listeners to join her on a ride that can only be made smooth by God. But before you accept the invitation, be reminded to put on your dancing shoes for this album goes deep into the dance territory. It is crawling with soukous rhythms that are full of bold head-nodding factors.
Things start jumping with Ndyamuhaki, a hot dance track. On this track she relies on the words borrowed from Psalms to express the incredible goodness of God. It encourages people to trust Christ in the midst of impossible situations ‘because he is our Shepherd’.
Among the finest tracks on the album is Niiwe Muriisa, a theme of man’s vertical relationship with God. If you don’t enjoy contemporary soukous sound, traditional tunes are also on the menu. Ashaba borrowed a funky traditional beat, ekitagururo, from Ankole to power the song, but in foot-stom.
All the tracks on Talindeka are sure to minister to whatever situation you could be facing. The praise songs touting the wonders of God, wrapped in simple melodic motifs and catchy beats are bound to touch more hearts and win Ashaba more fans.
The only low point is that Ashaba sings only in Runyankole.