The Sunday Mail
Businessman – cum – musician Energy Mutodi has bounced back onto the music scene with a new album a few months after announcing his exit from the industry. Mutodi, who is affectionately known by his fans as “Tatu Muluba”, announced that he was abandoning the microphone after the release of “Ndinorota Landlord” to focus more on his businesses.
The decision was inspired mainly by the running legal battles involving allegations of swindling home-seekers millions of dollars. The musician was spending more time in the courts than on the stage.
The 35-year-old real estate magnate said then that because of the legal woes, his business needed him “more than ever”.
Leaving music would give him time to correct the wrong perceptions about his character and business, he said.
As expected, the information was received with mixed feelings.
And as music followers were still digesting the flamboyant businessman’s dramatic exit from the music industry, he has ricocheted, dropping a four-track album titled “Chidhedhedhe”.
The album, whose accompanying DVD will be launched soon, is made up of hard-hitting social commentaries, some of which relate to the musician’s personal experiences.
What is interesting though on the project is the level of transformation the musician has gone through. His music seems to have matured with age like the proverbial wine.
When Mutodi penetrated the music scene, critics dismissed him as a pretender who was trying to buy his way to fame.
The criticism was further worsened by the musicians’ decision to “grab” established instrumentalists like Spencer Khumbulani, Guyson Sixpense, Innocent Mjintu and chanter Gift Katulika (aka Shiga Shiga) from other ensembles to build his Mutodi Express empire. Explaining his comeback, Mutodi said his fans’ pleas coupled with his unmatched love for drums and guitars made him reconsider.
Tatu Muluba, however, said he had come up with a new strategy that will see him conducting his music business differently from the initial approach.
“Inasmuch as I have critics, I also have people that appreciate my music and brand. It is the calls from these people that made me reconsider. Fortunate enough, I have a personal love for music that started from a very tender age, so it did not take much for me to reconsider,” he said.
“However, we will from now on be focusing on releasing albums and videos with little or no live performances. It would be good to make money through live shows but that is not possible at the moment. For now I want to focus on keeping my fans entertained. Those that wish to see us perform can make use of our DVDs,” he added.
Going through the latest release, one can easily note that Mutodi has managed to strike the right chord. He came up with a decent project that probably is his best effort to date.
But the flamboyant musician contends that their brand has been growing with each release. “We have always been a step further in our productions. From our very first effort, we were on track with songs like “Rure Rure” having gone on to make shock waves. It’s just that people had not grasped our concept, which they have since done,” notes Mutodi.
“I have discovered that corporate executives love sungura and I’m delivering it to them in a delicate and melodious manner. Music is not just about making noise with instruments, they have to be excellently organised and I have no challenges in that aspect,” he continued. Since bursting onto the scene in 2010, Mutodi has released eight albums. He has maintained a production rate of two albums per year, a feat that was only achieved by the likes of the late yesteryear greats Leonard Dembo and John Chibadura.
“I can produce an album after every six months. If you notice, I have managed to produce eight albums in the last four years. Creativity is the only trick in this industry,” he boasted.
Some of the tracks on the new offering include “Runyararo”, “Zvishorokodwa Zverudo”,” Nyasha” and the title track “Chidhedhedhe”.
On “Runyararo”, the musician is advocating for peace within the nation. The track implores leaders and would-be leaders to always respect different views and to always promote peace. And, in the same song, leaders are urged to respect the people that put them into power, and to never take them for granted. “Chidhedhedhe”, which means a loved one, is a song that implores friends, relatives and colleagues to always look out for each other even in times of hardships. The track shows how misfortune on a single individual affects a chain of people that are dependent on the affected character.
“Zvishorokodwa Zverudo” is a love song which dwells on predicaments that young ladies face in the process of waiting for their loved ones to finally put a ring on their figure. In the song, the woman tells the boyfriend that she is exposed as he is taking long to ring-fence his territory.
Also, related to this love theme is the track titled “Nyasha” which narrates challenges faced by married women as men keep on proposing regardless of their marital status.
