Entertainment / Music
Macheso ups tempo
01 Feb 2016 at 05:45hrs | Views
When Alick Macheso's album "Kwatakabva Mitunhu" was received with mixed feelings in 2012, he was exposed to the worst criticism of his career.
The musician went on a campaign to try and convince his fans that he still has the magic touch that kept him at the top for more than 10 years, but issues surrounding his personal life worsened his situation and battered his image harder.
To make matters worse, some key band members left his Orchestra Mberikwazvo outfit, threatening the musician's bid to defend his title as sungura king.
His live performances were affected and he would sometime perform in front of paltry crowds, though he soldiered on.
Now, the musician is under pressure from his fans that have become impatient with his delay in releasing a new album.
However, Macheso seems to be calculating his next move in order to reclaim his throne that has also come under threat from emerging popular genres.
And it seems he is determined to use live shows to prove that his next project will be a scorcher.
On Friday, he performed at Werras Bar in Glen View 1 and sampled new songs with spirited effort.
His new chant, "Ayayaaa", seems to breathe energy into his stage work and the act just turns magical when he belts out the slogan. New songs "Wandirangaridza" and "Nhai Baba" stole the show and he played the tracks more than three times as fans shouted for replays. He reminded his fans that he has not forgotten them and "Tsoka Dzerwendo" will be coming soon.
On the sidelines of the show, his spokesperson, Tich Makahamadze, said the camp was happy with the response to the new songs.
"The album is almost done but he is a man who makes sure that he has done his best before he releases a project. It is encouraging that the response to the new songs is overwhelming.
"You have seen it here that people are loving the songs and that also puts pressure for us to work and have the album out so that they can enjoy the songs whenever they want."
However, Makahamadze could not divulge the exact dates of the album release.
Macheso's old hits such as "Madhawu", "Madhuve" and "Mundikumbuke" proved they have stood the test of time as fans continue to enjoy the tracks. At the show, dancer-of-the-moment Lady Storm, who is popularly known as "Eriza", made a guest appearance with her dancers forcing the crowd to push towards the stage to have a glimpse of the gorgeous dancer's skills.
The musician went on a campaign to try and convince his fans that he still has the magic touch that kept him at the top for more than 10 years, but issues surrounding his personal life worsened his situation and battered his image harder.
To make matters worse, some key band members left his Orchestra Mberikwazvo outfit, threatening the musician's bid to defend his title as sungura king.
His live performances were affected and he would sometime perform in front of paltry crowds, though he soldiered on.
Now, the musician is under pressure from his fans that have become impatient with his delay in releasing a new album.
However, Macheso seems to be calculating his next move in order to reclaim his throne that has also come under threat from emerging popular genres.
And it seems he is determined to use live shows to prove that his next project will be a scorcher.
On Friday, he performed at Werras Bar in Glen View 1 and sampled new songs with spirited effort.
His new chant, "Ayayaaa", seems to breathe energy into his stage work and the act just turns magical when he belts out the slogan. New songs "Wandirangaridza" and "Nhai Baba" stole the show and he played the tracks more than three times as fans shouted for replays. He reminded his fans that he has not forgotten them and "Tsoka Dzerwendo" will be coming soon.
On the sidelines of the show, his spokesperson, Tich Makahamadze, said the camp was happy with the response to the new songs.
"The album is almost done but he is a man who makes sure that he has done his best before he releases a project. It is encouraging that the response to the new songs is overwhelming.
"You have seen it here that people are loving the songs and that also puts pressure for us to work and have the album out so that they can enjoy the songs whenever they want."
However, Makahamadze could not divulge the exact dates of the album release.
Macheso's old hits such as "Madhawu", "Madhuve" and "Mundikumbuke" proved they have stood the test of time as fans continue to enjoy the tracks. At the show, dancer-of-the-moment Lady Storm, who is popularly known as "Eriza", made a guest appearance with her dancers forcing the crowd to push towards the stage to have a glimpse of the gorgeous dancer's skills.
Source - the herald
