The Sunday Mail
It is now two months since the gospel power couple of Pastors Charles and Olivia Charamba released their 10-track album WeNazareta.
The project, which came four years after the duo had released individual albums, has been a subject of debate in all spheres since its release.
On WeNazareta, Baba naMai Charamba diverted from their usual fast-paced beat that is more inclined to sungura opting to give the album a jazzy touch. And the departure has been greeted with mixed feelings.
While the actual reason for diverting from their usual sound has remained a mystery, some music enthusiasts have been tempted to conclude that the project was an experiment of Pastor Charamba’s recent acquired knowledge in music, particularly the jazz genre.
However, during the Charambas’ long absence on the music radar, two artistes, Trymore Bande and Cephas Sibanda, were born. Music enthusiasts have concluded that the two are imitating Pastor Charamba’s style.
At one point, Trymore Bande had his pirated music sold in the streets under Pastor Charamba’s name. Confusion reigned supreme. This development, music critics argue, forced the revered couple to come up with a project that was completely different from what the “copycats” had availed to the market.
“The ongoing debate is something that we expected. This was by design not default since we knew what the album was about. It’s not an experiment, this (album) is a musical product of its kind,” said Pastor Charamba.
He added that contrary to the common belief, the album was not his but a collaborative effort between him and his wife. The development, he revealed, was also the reason for the album’s new touch.
Since embarking on their musical career, the couple has worked together but maintain their individual musical identities and styles. They each has individual projects under their belts.
Pastor Charamba notes he is admired in East Africa and in the Northern part of South Africa while his wife is adored in Nigeria, Botswana and the greater part of South Africa.
“Mai Charamba and I did not come in our accustomed manner. Both of us made a compromise in terms of identity but not compromising the product. We both could not sing using our traditional pace hence we fused identities to come up with the duets. This was well calculated from the beginning,” he said.
Prophets of doom have been quick to dismiss WeNazareta as a flop and not likely going to achieve standards set by the couple’s previous efforts, but Pastor Charamba is upbeat about their effort.
He said the news that the album was a flop would only worry them if it came from their record label.
“We are sellers in the music industry not opportunists. Sunday Service got a similar reception to that of WeNazareta, but I can confirm to you that the album sold more than 69 000 copies in the year of its release. Concern will only grip me when I see declined sales on our sales sheets,” said the pastor.
He notes the album has achieved the intended objective and is on course to match or surpass previous sales records. Experience, he says, has taught him that his fans exist in two categories.
The Fishers of Man frontman highlighted that to cater for the two sections of fans, they had a release pattern that alternated between fast and slow-paced beats since monotony is the worst enemy of art.
“In terms of reception that album is okay. The bias towards jazz was done to cater for the other group that would have previously been left out.
“While others like the sungura-like beat, some do not and have shunned our work because of it.
“My beat has never been 100 percent sungura. Songs like “Mhinduro Iriko” and “Buruka” are not sungura but were popular. And only two songs on Pashoko Pangoma have a sungura touch. The other songs have a fusion of various local traditional beats. Albums should come with a true sense of novelty,” explained Pastor Charamba.
A look at the Charambas’ catalogue reveals that the couple has released “hot and cold” albums in a uniform manner.
Tinashe Akatendeka, Vhuserere, Sunday Service and New Testament are mellow albums which were countered by fast-paced projects Johanne 3 vs 16, Amen (Mai Charamba), Verses and Chapters and Pashoko Pangoma.
Meanwhile, the Charambas have promised to release an album on an annual basis.
“If I had a favourite musician, I would not forgive them for taking up to four years without a release. We will never take that long again,” he said.
