Jazz sensation Zahara for Blankets and Wine
South African singer Zahara aka Bulelwa Mkutukana, will perform at this year’s Blankets and wine festival on September 27 at the Uganda Museum. Courtesy photo
Zahara’s (Bulelwa Mkutukana) hoarse husky voice melts through every song on her uplifting album, Phendula (Answer Me). This award-winning South African artiste is the foreign package for Ugandan revellers up for the 10th edition of Tusker’s Blankets and Wine festival come September 27. Something signature about her music is the positive message that reverberate through the sound. One does not need to understand the lyrics to melt into it.
Her songs
Rise Again has simplicity in lyrics, with a lot of refrain. The verse, about four lines, smoothly falls into the chorus with reflections of one born to fight and will rise again, probably after life’s struggles and mistakes. The chorus will stick to memory. Its Kwaito sound is rather danceable and its inspirational attributes will have you hum to yourself.
Bomi Endibaziyo (feat. Anele) begins like a sensational love ballade sound, allowing her rich vocal strum through this tune, yet leaving you clung to your pillow. “Have you ever tried to reach for God in the rainbow’s hand” and how people lose themselves on the way in life, rings through the chorus. There are influences that one can relate to our very own Naava Grey in its mellow tune, which has you close your eyes and melt away, regardless of attachment to meaning. However, the chorus in English does Ugandans justice.
When Zahara’s Impilo (life/health) plays, one is reminded of Makoma, that popular gospel band which performed here in early 2000s. Perhaps owing to her rich (big) voice and its vibratos, there is a relatable feel in Impilo, which stays true to Zulu. The mid-tempo instrumentals have you equally in romance with this song, you can sway to it.
Indlela Yam and Phendula have a sister sound, with an uplifting aura in how she raises her voice in praise. These songs nearly take you to your place of worship. Phendhula, popular on Ugandan air waves, calls on God to answer to Africa’s struggles for He knows our sorrows. The two nearly sound like worship songs.
Grab your dancing shoes
Motema nayo bolingaye sounds familiar? Well, Tresor Rikizi adds a male Congolese touch to the song Limbisa. It has bits of African jazz, and the rhythm has enjoyable skips in the structure of the chorus.
Okwami Ngokwakho revives the Sarafina dance vibe, and that truly South African sound, which, for years, kept Africa loyal to songs like Umqombothi. Get you dancing shoes and shuffle as you do to Mafikizolo’s Ndihamba Nawe. The trumpet/saxophone add vibrancy to the track. Umongameli and Bhekile begin with a dance vibe too. The latter with likeness to the never ending SABC drama sound track, Isidingo; The Need and Bhekile’s lyrics with stances of Xhosa click sounds. It chants with backup that you won’t resist the struck of drums, vibrations from the trumpet, and while you will be reminded of Mafikizolo or Brenda Fasie, Zahara has her own unique sound.
Zahara Vs Uganda
Some of Zahara’s songs sound alike, and given their slow tempo, they are songs one would best listen to in times of meditation, when they are looking for inspiration and not for a party-happy mood. They keep you swaying and not jubilantly dancing.
Ugandans love to party hard, and to impress, Zahara would have to play about with the live showcase to kill the monotonous slow sound. As she will be sharing the stage with vocal powerhouse Lillian Mbabazi, Zahara has got her job cut out for her. Her Kwazulu incarnations will treat the audience to an appealing merger of East and South African sound.
