The Sunday Mail
Society Reporter
THE Vine musical group will this Saturday conduct a live recording of their second album titled “The Great Physician”.
The event is scheduled to be held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).
“On April 30, The Vine has a live video recording at the HICC. The live recording is for our second album ‘The Great Physician’. We believe that for as long as God enables us, the gospel should be accessible to anyone who wants it freely.
“It’s a free offering that we are giving to God for all he has done for us. That’s why the event is free of charge,” revealed the choir director Everton Mlalazi.
The 13-member Seventh Day Adventist music group was formed in 2014 and their debut project titled “Musandipfuure” was released four years later.
Mlalazi said the forthcoming album was delayed due to the effects of the ongoing Covid-19.
“We started working on this project just as Covid-19 hit our country. It has been a painful journey with stops and starts in between. Either one of us got sick or there was lockdown so it became impossible to continue. However, we believe in ‘the Great Physician’, the sympathising Jesus hence we are now carrying on with the work,” he said.
The pandemic, he added, is full of great lessons.
“The situation that we find ourselves in goes beyond our comprehension as people thus the need to turn to God for answers. We have a disease we do not know how to cure, a disease that is causing havoc everywhere, this is the time that the great physician (God) becomes the centre of our focus. Prayer should lead everything.”
“God Can”, “Ndimi Simba”, “Psalms 94”, “Prayer”, “Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Saviour”, the title track “The Great Physician” and the recently released “Inyang’ Enkulu” are some of the songs to be featured on the 12-track album.
The project will also feature the South African Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, Mahalia Buchanan and Mabongi Mabaso.
In “Musandipfuure” the Harare-based group worked with Ntokozo Mbambo.
“We believe in our people in Zimbabwe, Africa and the rest of the world. We have been through a lot and the present truth or message is that of hope in the risen saviour, Jesus Christ, who has prepared for us a dwelling place in heaven where they will be no night, no sickness and no death,” said Mlalazi.
“To portray the African theme in our worship we felt Soweto Gospel Choir would be the right pick. Mahalia and Mabongi were easy picks for the songs ‘God Can’ and ‘The Great Physician’ (respectively) they are doing with their dulcet vocal abilities.”
Mlalazi retains the services of producer Nigel Nyangombe on the new project.
“Our music is more on the classical side and is very biased towards intricate harmonies which might be a bit different from others. We have our producer we work with that understands,” he added.
