THE Young Igwe, Peter Moyo’s long-awaited debut album Mushonga Mukuru, which hit the market two weeks ago, evoked mixed emotions.
Report by Silence Charumbira
For those fairly new to his father’s music he has become an utter success story while for the sympathetic, it is a baby’s crawl with the hope of walking and subsequently running one day.
Yet still, for the ruthless critic, the album is just another disappointment by the young artiste as he fails to stand on his own but trying to force himself into his father’s shoes.
Coming just over three months shy of the second anniversary of his father Tongai’s death, the album is pregnant with emotional glimpses for any Utakataka Express follower.
One cannot help, but reminisce of Tongai especially on listening to the songs Konzi, Tutsotso, Barika and Mushonga Mukuru the title track which came from his unreleased material.
The nostalgia is so intense that some have shed tears literally visualising him on stage at one of his last gigs.
On listening to the tracks one is convinced that the young artiste did his homework and scored full marks on the album, but wait till you listen to the remaining three tracks.
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Although you may be tempted to forgive Peter for the poor vocals on Konzi and Barika, you will certainly be incensed enough to trash the whole album after listening to the last tracks.
On these two particular songs he fell short, particularly considering they had become popular at his father’s gigs and listeners know how he used to sing them. The vocals on the new tracks are a disappointment and proof that the project was somewhat hurried.
His vocals more often than not envisage jitters especially when he tries to sing like his father.
On the contrary, his instrumentalists did a wonderful job in managing to maintain the bar set by Tongai.
Of course, there is a missing link, one or two notes on the lead guitar that he used to compose on his own.
Spencer Khumulani aka The Bolt Cutter who used to record the bass guitar is conspicuously absent, but the replacement Saviours Karikodza also did well.
Peter’s original tracks also lack depth content wise and the artiste finds himself chanting names of promoters for almost half of the song Mwari wenyasha, an old fashioned style that has become monotonous.
What Peter needs to do is to seek advice from the more experienced, perhaps find vocal trainers as well as enrol at the Zimbabwe College of music.
He has to accept he is not his father and will never be, but will forever be Peter Moyo and thus has to be original.
He has to realise that fair comment from critics has always been contentious, but is there to build and he has to capitalise on that.
