The Sunday Mail
THE music industry is flooded with artistes representing different genres but sadly, not all of them are making great music, let alone great albums. While artistes release singles every now and then, putting together an album might prove to be a daunting task as some have gone for years working on a single album.
Music experts say that making an album is not a matter of just getting into the studio, recording a couple of songs and grouping them on one disc. There are certain elements that come into play and have to be seriously considered.
Although musicians usually get most of the credit, certainly for an album to turn gold, it requires a talented musician and an equally talented producer. A producer can help turn average musicians into stars through fine tuning their products.
Impatience and ignorance are said to be some of the elements that turn many potentially explosive albums into average or even disastrous projects.
In recent times, several local artistes that include Killer T, Jah Prayzah, Winky D, Suluman Chimbetu, Freeman and Alick Macheso to mention but a few, have released albums that have made significant impact.
Producers such as Bothwell Nyamhondera, Clive Mono Mukundu, Munyaradzi “Viali” Viya, Lyton Ngolomi and Oskid quickly have also done wonders.
Last week, The Sunday Mail Leisure interviewed some of the top producers in the country.
They shared different views on how good albums are made.
Viali, the power behind Jah Prayzah, Suluman Chimbetu, Tocky Vibes and Peter Moyo’s albums took this reporter through some of the paces he has to go through while working on a project.
“The process of putting together an album is long. It requires several key elements that is if you are really in search of success. Coming up with good lyrics is important and therefore the process of composition is significant.
“In most cases, artistes give me their ideas and I make what we call mock instrumentals. The artiste uses these to lay down their ideas or to come up with lyrics,” explained Viali.
After the artiste finishes composing the lyrics, the producer then helps with the lyrical arrangement while at the same time perfecting the instrumentation.
The process of recording the song could take a day or two but the real hustle comes when it is time for mixing and mastering the song.
“It can take about a day or two to record a song, for example Jah Prayzah’s ‘Eriza’ took us two days to complete but that is just one huddle because there is more work in mixing and mastering the song.
“The process requires a lot of patience and concentration because if you rush the job, the end result will be catastrophic and in turn affect the whole album. The mixing process is where I determine how the final product will sound like,” says Viali.
He said some albums take months to complete because the artistes require more time to come up with content. In other instances, the artistes have to re-record songs until they reach perfection.
“Saying a song takes two days to record does not translate to 20 days for a ten track album. Some artistes are for perfection and can record one song per month, which is why some projects can take several months or even years to complete.”
Also, budding artistes usually suffer from financial constraints and this can affect their progress in recording.
Viali said the artiste, the instrumentalists and the producer all play important roles in producing a quality album.
“Experience is always the best. But you should note they are some vocally gifted artistes that, however, cannot compose; while there are also artistes who do not even know how to count bars or understand how to control their voices so in this situation, you have to work extra hard as a producer.”
Multi-award winning producer, Prince Tapfuma, popularly known as Oskid in music circles, outlined what he believes are key elements in the production of a successful album.
“The lyrical content should be on point because if your songs does not speak to the audience, they will not listen to the music. A producer must be flexible enough so that they can easily adapt to your type of music. When working together, there must be an understanding between the artiste and the producer,” said Oskid.
“After you have completed the album, the project must be released at the right time. There is need to assess the market and find out what music fans are appreciating at that particular point in time.”
It is easier for established artistes to launch their albums as their fans are always eagerly awaiting new projects. However, the same can be said for unheralded acts.
“If an artiste is already visible, fans are likely to warm up to his or her album rather than to projects from upcoming acts. I think for upcoming artistes, it is best to release singles first before attempting a full album in order to generate visibility first.”
Jah Prayzah, who will be launching his much awaited album ‘Mudhara Vachauya’ on August 12, is one of the few artistes who have been consistent with their albums.
His manager, Keen Mushapaidze, said it took more than eight months of hard work for the latest project to come together.
“It’s a process which involves a lot of things and these guys give it their all when they are in the studio. There are instances when we have had to re-record some songs in order to ensure that we create the perfect sound that appeals to our fans,” he said.
The musician engaged an array of top producers on the album.
“Several producers worked on the forthcoming album and these include Oskid, Clive Mono Mukundu, Munya Viali, Humphrey, Lyzer from Tanzania and Rodney from the UK, among others.
“Keith Farquharson is handling the mixing and mastering of the album, just like last time, so we are expecting a quality product when we launch,” said Mushapaidze.
While other artistes depend on the producer to come up with instrumentals, most sungura artistes create the sounds on their own.
Sungura artiste Peter Moyo said recording an album takes longer for sungura artistes since they have to do almost everything on their own.
“We come up with our own instrumentals, write the songs and arrange the lyrics on our own, which means we need to rehearse a lot before getting into the studio. When we get to the studio, the producer is just there to press record and adjust a few things but we would have done all the work on our own.”
He also said writing skills varied from artiste to artiste, with some needing more time to come up with lyrics while it is easier for others.
“I have noticed that some artistes can get into the studio and write a song in a day while another one will take over a month working on a single song. This is why timelines for albums differ,” he said.
Music fans are often quick to complain when their favourite artistes delay releasing albums.
