A year of song and dance

Mpho Tlale | Friday December 20, 2013 11:42

 

Bruce Springsteen once remarked, “A guy, a story, some chords, some lyrics and that’s going to have to be enough”.

As the year 2013 comes to an end, the words of the legendary American singer ring true to many in Botswana.  One is reminded that the beauty of music is that it is a universal language that need not be understood, but speaks volumes.

It was a year in which music was made and songs sung by artists who have a story to tell the world.

Stories of Botswana were told in Europe some time in August and September, when local jazz ensemble Kalahari Roses toured Germany with their Tales From Botswana album.

The group comprised of some of jazz’s souls Kabo Leburu, Kearoma Rantao and Nnunu Ramogotsi. These promising youngsters got a rare opportunity to collaborate with German artists and composed songs with Setswana lyrics.

They grabbed media attention while there and that of the Europeans who simply immersed themselves in Tswana sounds.

When they are not blossoming as a group, the individual roses have had productive solo careers.  Leburu released his single Xhaio featuring Berry Heart in May and it became an instant hit with fans as it dominated the airwaves.

Rantao and Ramogotsi added to their profiles with performances in Mozambique and Sweden respectively.

Rantao was on tour to promote her album When The Music Plays while Ramogotsi’s Mmasonoko took her to Europe.  In addition to her achievements Rantao bagged three awards in one night at the recent Botswana Musicians Union (BOMU) awards for Best Afro-Jazz, Best Female Artist and Best Packaged Album.

All three performers have been part of the sought-after Mascom Live Sessions bill that took place at Botswanacraft. The live sessions are the heart of where live music can be enjoyed.  Guest artists who performed at this year’s editions include Oliver Mtukudzi, Freshlyground, Soweto String Quartet, and Steve and Bokani Dyer who graced the Botswanacraft stage.

Songbird Samantha Mogwe had fans eating out of the palm of her hand in 2013.  Her musical journey started paying off with the release of her song Transition featuring Zeus.

Mogwe, a former Idols finalist, has become a household name. She was a constant feature in most cooperate shows. One can bet that next year Transitions will be as relevant as it is today.  It might even gain new popularity all together.  Zeus has also had his fair share of fame this year.  Last month he won the Channel O Most Gifted Male Video award for his song Dats Wasup featuring AKA and Tumi. To top that he also released his album African Time and his teaser single Ma Afrika has been receiving a significant amount of airplay both on radio and Channel O. Another artist who deserves recognition for their achievement is Bundulama (Dzikamari Lekopanye) for his album Flying Home.  An extraordinary piece of work, Bundulama’s album offers a whole different take rather than churn out the usual sounds in the music scene.  Flying Home fuses mellow beats that induce peace of mind to the listener.  Fans of Enya and Flying Lotus will most likely appreciate Bundulama’s offering.

Who could have missed the rise of Motswako artist Dramaboi and his smashing single Utlwa?  Released late last year the song started topping charts this year in January and continues to.  The punchline lyrics go “Ga ke share quart mare hupa, o tloga o nagana ke mojuta / Utlwa”.  The witty lyrics proved to be a powerful tool in pushing the song’s popularity.  Dramaboi’s album Wa Makeishane is a must look into for it has to offer.

Then there was ATI in the mix with his Ke Lekhete song that elevated the ever-energetic young artist’s status.  He got Africa’s recognition when he performed at one of the Big Brother eviction shows in South Africa.  Despite failing to scoop a BOMU award, ATI was one of the shining stars of the year 2013.  A strategist, the rapper used criticism against him wisely and soared further.  The release of his album Polao Ya Motho saw him being labelled a Satanist, but used that to his advantage.   Not only is he known for his energy on stage, but ATI is also a fashionista in his own right.  There is never a moment when his outfits do not grab attention, whether on or off stage.

Shortlived hits came in the form of Jujuboy’s Masikeng and Sasa Klaas’s A Ke Mo Khandeng.  Both the singles enjoyed some rotation before fading into obscurity.  When they were still hot, their tunes were on everyone’s lips. Even then, Sasa rose above that. After performing and twerking at a show hosted at Game City Rooftop Terrace, she gained herself new legion of fans. Her song H.A.D.S.A.N enjoyed massive airplay on Btv’s Flava Dome.

After three years missing in action, legendary kwasa kwasa singer Alfredo Mosimanegape whose career stretches over 27 years released his 17th album titled Re Maduo A Lerato.

Mosimanegape’s latest offering is a fusion of kwasa kwasa, jazz, borankana and gospel.  The fusion of genres is an indication of how far the artist has come and how versatile he is.  To date when the name Alfredo Mos is mentioned, the song that comes to mind is his Happy Christmas that has dominated the RBI airwaves for the last decade.  The song is a festive season signature tune.

Borankana artist Shumba Ratshega of Makhirikhiri fame released his sixth album Loso La Monnamogolo.  Rateshega’s cover song Loso La Monnamogolo has had a warm welcome since its release.  However, some fans have expressed concern over the use of language they term as vulgar. 

Although it was nominated for Song Of The Year it still lost out to Vee’s Eita.  The house-kwasa artist’s Eita had been ruling airwaves for some months before Shumba released his Loso La Monnamogolo.  Vee also dominated the competition with his song Baba also from his album Supernatural Vol 1.

Although she scooped two BOMU awards, Charma Gal of Ekentolo fame is dying a slow death as it is.  She won under the categories Best Group and Best Mosakaso.  Despite the release of her album this year, she has not made an impact as she had, especially towards the festive season. Maybe this is a call for Culture Spears to make a comeback next year.

This year has also been Jojo’s year.  The singer has been moving up and down in neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, but more especially Malawi where she was invited for The Lake Of Stars and Malawi Africa Unite Music Festival Exchange. It seems the singer is tapping into a market that seems to appreciate her more than at home ground. 

Since the announcement of her marriage to a South African bodyguard, Slizer‘s career has taken a slump.  The singer did not manage to maintain the hype that she was known for. Instead she went quiet and her fans have been left longing for her wondering where she could be. However she continued to make teaser appearances on foreign soil specifically in Zimbabwe.

Worth noting is Euri’s collaboration with Lizibo on Mosadi. Mosadi is Euri’s single from his newly released album From Francistown With Love.  The song is a subtle and laidback tune that appreciates women.   This year has been Lizibo’s who has moved from performing in corporate functions to bagging three BOMU awards under the categories of Best Male, Best Afro-Pop and Best Newcomer.   He showed that his silky Kalanga-loaded lyrics are working their magic.

In essence, this has been a good year for local music.

Artists seem to understand that the image they project can take them far. 

Apart from that, they also got a serious wake up call that has shown them that their craft can take them places beyond the country and African borders.   More noticeable is the fact that lip-synching is slowly becoming a thing of the past.   From motswako to hip-hop, Afro-pop and jazz, artists have now finally grasped the importance of performing live. Hopefully by next year all artists who perform to those scratched CDs will give lip-synching a second thought.