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When dendera inspires gospel

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THE name Simon Shumba could easily get people laughing as they reminisce of the late comedian Mutirowafanza.

THE name Simon Shumba could easily get people laughing as they reminisce of the late comedian Mutirowafanza.

By Silence Charumbira,Entertainment Reporter

This time around, it is one Simon Charumbira Shumba.

Though not a comedian, but a musician, the young man is still peculiar in his own way.

He was named after the late legendary master of song Simon “Chopper” Chimbetu due to his father’s immense love for the dendera genre.

And the proof is evident on his five-track gospel/sungura album Mwari Vanoona, as it is punctuated with a touch of Chopper’s style.

From the arrangement of the instrumentation to the composition of the lyrical content, the influence cannot be missed.

The album starts off with Dzidzai Zvakanaka, a gospel track that is blended with the late Leonard Dembo and Chimbetu’s style. A social commentary song, the musician assumes the role of teacher in Church urging Christians to behave responsibly even when the pastor or bishop is not there.

The second track is Munocheka Ukama — a warning to intrusive relatives who interfere with personal affairs among couples leading to separation or divorce.

Here he tackles a prevalent issue in families where possessive relatives wreck relationships and warns of the rage that often results.

He gives a scenario where relatives urge people to divorce when their relationship are tumultuous, but when they solve their problem it comes back to haunt them. Track number three Jemanewadya is an appeal to those that are living well to help the needy instead of complaining about ill-fortunes each time they are approached for help.

The song has some good rhythms, but is largely discredited by the below standard mastering.

Seiko is a lamentation by a Christian against people who provoke him at times when he is praying, giving credence to the common Shona saying “Miedzo haipere pamutendi” (loosely translated to mean temptations stalk Christians).

The instrumentation on the song deserves special mention, especially the bassist Justin Murega, who is Shumba’s cousin.

Umbimbindoga, the opening track, is a call to God and the community that looks down upon a poor man even when he does well. Born on November 12, 1989, in Gokwe Central, Shumba is the last born in a family of nine.

He attended Burure Primary School before enrolling at Zhomba High School in Gokwe. A ZCC Mbungo member, Shumba’s career started off at the institution where he played the trombone from the age of 16.

He left the group and enrolled at Africa Academy of Music in Masvingo where he studied up to Grade 3 with the help of Bishop Mutendi before recording with Lucky Chikuwo in 2009. The following year, he left music and started working as a pharmacist in Gutu. As if to confirm his calling in music he had to leave the pharmacy last in 2012 after the death of the proprietor.

With more care and polishing, this album could easily have thrust young Shumba to the top of upcoming sungura artistes.

It could be both the inexperience of the musician and the carelessness of the recording stable, but it is eventually the musician who bears the brunt.