Enter Sam, the game changer

23 Apr, 2017 - 00:04 0 Views
Enter Sam, the game changer Sam Dondo

The Sunday Mail

Takudzwa Chihambakwe
Sam Dondo believes you should either go big or go home.

Undeterred by the market’s lukewarm reception of his debut album “Dyara Minamato” after a mega launch in Harare last year, Sam went even bigger with his aptly named follow-up “Game Changer”, at a five-star hotel in the capital on April 13, 2017.

Though his music might not as yet have made an impact, Dondo’s robust financial backing from his brother, Thompson Dondo, has made many stop and ask: who is this Sam Dondo guy?

Last year he did an album launch concert with the “Big Five” of Zimbabwean music, backing this up with a massive publicity campaign that saw his billboards spring up all over. Even the Big Five of Oliver Mtukudzi, Alick Macheso, Winky D, Jah Prayzah and Suluman Chimbetu who helped launch the album have never spent so much on publicity of a single project.

This year, Sam went a step further. He became the first musician in Zimbabwe to get the national broadcaster to beam his album launch live. Talk about changing the game. But in tough economic times when artistes are struggling to make ends meet, who in their right mind pours so much money into an album launch, more so when the first effort hardly caused a ripple?

“My brother (Thompson) is fully behind me in all the projects that I work on, he is actually encouraging me to get back in studio to start working on the third album – he strongly believes in what we do as a band,” said Sam.

And who is Sam Dondo playing for?

Well, whilst Sam’s songs are not exactly rocking the airwaves, musically they are pretty much on point. His arrangements and richness of lyrical content speak of a genuine artiste and not a part-timer. This could well be another case of a Hope Masike, Mokoomba or Rute Mbangwa failing to make a big name locally while being much appreciated outside Zimbabwe.

“I do not corner myself by saying I target a certain niche market be it based on gender or age groups. All I do is prepare quality music that can be accepted by anyone from anywhere in the world.

“Yes, the mature folks like music with substance and that we include in the projects and at the same time we cater for the youngsters with tracks that relate to them,” said Sam.

He seems serious about making a name for himself in his own right. At the launch of the second album, there was no Big Five to back him up as he wanted people to solely focus on what he had to offer.

“The main idea of the launch concert last year was to have the artistes in the Big Five league introduce me to Zimbabwean music lovers and I believe it worked out well.

“However, we also felt that the 2016 strategy lacked in terms of having revellers connect more with me on a personal level, hence this year we decided to launch at a smaller venue, in an intimate environment,” revealed Sam.

“Game Changer” comes loaded with 13 tracks, nine of them produced by Munya Vialy, three by Tayt Viya and one by Oskid. Keith Farquharson mixed and mastered the album as was the case with the first album. These are no small personalities. These are giants of music. And Sam wants to be mentioned in the same breath as them. Most of the tracks carry an Afro-fusion vibe, which falls in the mid to up-tempo range.

“I wrote all the tracks on the album and most of them are inspired by my life experiences, others are just social commentary and, as usual, I have a track to thank God my creator,” said Sam.

In “Ndoenda” and “Hutano” he uses local traditional rhythms to entice listeners and then serenades them with his rich lyrics. The genre changes again as he ventures into reggae on “Only You”, showsingoff his versatility.

“Kazevezeve”, which features Cynthia Mare, also shows Sam’s depth. The bass line on the introduction is phenomenal and is buttressed well by other instruments and vocals thereafter.

Sam is in the right direction and shows on the album that he is willing to learn and try new things. And unlike on “Dyara Minamato” where he perhaps tried too hard to sound like Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah and Thomas Mapfumo, this time around he has realised it is best to simply be Sam Dondo.

What he needs, though, is an out and out hit that will really make him a game changer. This lack of a mega hit means he will continue to be brushed off as a wannabe by people who have never really listened to his music. Sam sings well, markets his good well, and certainly deserves a chance.

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