Artist: 1 Lord
Album / Mix-tape: Vol. 2 "Growth"
Lyricism: 2.5 / 5
Style of Delivery: 2.5 / 5 *the singing was in a class of it's own: 3 / 5
Content: 2 / 5
Content: 2 / 5
Musical Production: 3 / 5
Quality: 1.5 / 5
Arrangement: 1.5 / 5
Concept: 1 / 5
Originality / Creativity: 2.5 / 5
I pressed play...my foot started tapping...my head began to nodd...fingers clicking - the next thing I knew, I was dancing and singing along to a song I have never heard before. I thought I'd be disappointed; I thought this album might not be good; I thought I'd be indifferent to the mix-tape, play it once and lay it aside. Their last mix-tape left alot to be desired, it was only tolerated because the music scene in Malawi was in it's infancy, but now the music scene is "grown", we are "grown", and am glad to announce that so is this mix-tape. Therefore, "growth" fits the title very well. I danced and yet I have two left feet; I did the electric slide; and I hit the chicken dance. I suppose that’s DJ Kali’s influence on the album, it has a good balance on production selection. Therefore, it has a greater potential to appeal to a broader range of people because it's not all “hip-hop”. The older generation, the treble lovers, the r'n'b-ites, the non-hip hoppers could listen to this and appreciate it. Play [parts of it] at a wedding, at a party, in your car, during praise at church, or play it for your worst enemy and he'll dance with you!!! DJ Kali’s house genre productions are amazing. They exhibit a style, taste and flavor that only he can provide. I enjoyed them. I was willing to overlook a few things because I enjoyed the creativity, but the quality is not good, the arrangement is poor (there is no order to the madness), and the concept is loose (except for a few songs which actually carry the element of “Growth”).
Bwalo likule was sweet like honey to taste and it has a great "feel-good community" aura about it. This song has the ability to bring you out of the duldrums - when you feel under the clouds, play this song (and many others in the project) and it will relieve your heart. "Adzatsegula" is in a class of it's own and is most likely to establish Malawi on the map internationally. Sam, Jay-Josh, and Donia provide vocals that flow as smoothe as a stream to an easily dance-able beat. Servant 1 was a good fit on “kuphaka life” even though I feel he didn't bring his best to the table. The track was ultimately saved by the production and the great vocals on the hook. Genesis gave me such a great hearing-experience on "Chimfana Choborna", his word-play between English and Chichewa is sweet and on a precision course. I rate this song 2nd best in the mix-tape among the rap tracks. Double Zee's "Grown Up", however, takes the crown. Laid back and confident, the "Mpingo ndi Dziko" rapper brought his A-Game. Arthur's "Who's the man?" has a ridiculously contagious hook that you'll find yourself murmuring all day. K.B.G’s track was not my favorite because even though his rap was one of the best in the mix-tape he did not fit the instrumental for me, which is regrettable because K.B.G is one of my favorite rappers. Rapper and beat selection is crucial, and an art. Being able to tell whether the beat fits the rapper or vice-verca must not be taken for granted. Manyanda’s contribution "Yenda ndi Yesu" is indescribable, I loved the song through and through for its emotional transference. It made me "feel" as though my walk with God is the happiest two-step I could ever embark upon. However, there have been concerns that many of the rap tracks in this project lacked an aesthetic quality that was poured into the house and r'n'b tracks, and its something I agree with. For instance, contributions from Sayo, "Mundithandize", had good content but was poorly communicated and lacked creativity, but I do think Sayo has become an improved artist; Chinetik's "Next Level" was a victim of creative absence and you cant keep up with the song for long because it doesn't keep you wanting to listen to what is actually a very strong message. But "Pemphero" by Peter Sambo takes the cake for me. Here is what I then realized: 1 Lord managed to take what is doctrine and pour it into praise instead of fitting it into a didactic mould with exposition type verses. This was different, if you want the content it is readily available in a song that you can also incidentally dance to.
If the mix-tape sounds inconsistent in it's quality, thats because it is, and I may offer a little insight into what may have happened: a project of this nature with so many people involved (over 25 artists!) means that there will be delays, and as such, delays equal rushed jobs. Which reflects poorly on the people responsible but perhaps the mix-tape release date should have been postponed so as not to compromise the sound quality. Perhaps it is time that we should make sure a project is complete before issuing release dates to the public. There were way too many mix-hands on this album. According to my technical advice the maximum amount of mix-engineers should be four - this mix-tape had atleast 10! And always, absolutely just ONE mastering engineer. You get the feeling that there needed to be more quality control.
Go get this mix-tape where you can because, love it or hate it, it shows life and variety in Malawi’s music scene. Glad to see we have a music scene consisting of genres other than just hip-hop. It is very exciting and has songs like "Bwalo likule", "Chimfana choborna", "Adzatsegula", "Mfumu ya mafumu" (a very wonderful reggae track by Zeze), and "Pemphero" which are among tracks that stand out for me and will appeal to many people. A variety of people will know and love this mix-tape because of its broad scope and range. Also, Kali is a mad promoter, this mix-tape should make waves. I loved it on a creative tip and so will you. It is the most creative project i have reviewed thus far.
Bwalo likule was sweet like honey to taste and it has a great "feel-good community" aura about it. This song has the ability to bring you out of the duldrums - when you feel under the clouds, play this song (and many others in the project) and it will relieve your heart. "Adzatsegula" is in a class of it's own and is most likely to establish Malawi on the map internationally. Sam, Jay-Josh, and Donia provide vocals that flow as smoothe as a stream to an easily dance-able beat. Servant 1 was a good fit on “kuphaka life” even though I feel he didn't bring his best to the table. The track was ultimately saved by the production and the great vocals on the hook. Genesis gave me such a great hearing-experience on "Chimfana Choborna", his word-play between English and Chichewa is sweet and on a precision course. I rate this song 2nd best in the mix-tape among the rap tracks. Double Zee's "Grown Up", however, takes the crown. Laid back and confident, the "Mpingo ndi Dziko" rapper brought his A-Game. Arthur's "Who's the man?" has a ridiculously contagious hook that you'll find yourself murmuring all day. K.B.G’s track was not my favorite because even though his rap was one of the best in the mix-tape he did not fit the instrumental for me, which is regrettable because K.B.G is one of my favorite rappers. Rapper and beat selection is crucial, and an art. Being able to tell whether the beat fits the rapper or vice-verca must not be taken for granted. Manyanda’s contribution "Yenda ndi Yesu" is indescribable, I loved the song through and through for its emotional transference. It made me "feel" as though my walk with God is the happiest two-step I could ever embark upon. However, there have been concerns that many of the rap tracks in this project lacked an aesthetic quality that was poured into the house and r'n'b tracks, and its something I agree with. For instance, contributions from Sayo, "Mundithandize", had good content but was poorly communicated and lacked creativity, but I do think Sayo has become an improved artist; Chinetik's "Next Level" was a victim of creative absence and you cant keep up with the song for long because it doesn't keep you wanting to listen to what is actually a very strong message. But "Pemphero" by Peter Sambo takes the cake for me. Here is what I then realized: 1 Lord managed to take what is doctrine and pour it into praise instead of fitting it into a didactic mould with exposition type verses. This was different, if you want the content it is readily available in a song that you can also incidentally dance to.
If the mix-tape sounds inconsistent in it's quality, thats because it is, and I may offer a little insight into what may have happened: a project of this nature with so many people involved (over 25 artists!) means that there will be delays, and as such, delays equal rushed jobs. Which reflects poorly on the people responsible but perhaps the mix-tape release date should have been postponed so as not to compromise the sound quality. Perhaps it is time that we should make sure a project is complete before issuing release dates to the public. There were way too many mix-hands on this album. According to my technical advice the maximum amount of mix-engineers should be four - this mix-tape had atleast 10! And always, absolutely just ONE mastering engineer. You get the feeling that there needed to be more quality control.
Go get this mix-tape where you can because, love it or hate it, it shows life and variety in Malawi’s music scene. Glad to see we have a music scene consisting of genres other than just hip-hop. It is very exciting and has songs like "Bwalo likule", "Chimfana choborna", "Adzatsegula", "Mfumu ya mafumu" (a very wonderful reggae track by Zeze), and "Pemphero" which are among tracks that stand out for me and will appeal to many people. A variety of people will know and love this mix-tape because of its broad scope and range. Also, Kali is a mad promoter, this mix-tape should make waves. I loved it on a creative tip and so will you. It is the most creative project i have reviewed thus far.
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