"Tirariraaaaa Swaaaaah,Ndini ndariraaa Swaaah"
These words are often accompanied by a high energy perfomance with the type of high jumps normally reserved for olympic events.If its a song chances of it having that same energy while infecting the listener to dance or sing along unprovoked are high.The owner of that trademark is Jah Signal but for many Zimbabweans young and old he needs no introduction as his songs are a staple on radio,television and the commuter omnibuses we share four a seat on our way to school,work and such.
I was in one such kombi recently when his Shinga Muroora song started blasting from the kombi's suspect speakers and i subconciously started humming along to the lyrics as did the lass sitting next to me.That the good folk in my native Buhera would have commended me for bringing them a lovely muroora if it wasnt for the stage fright that gripped me is a story for another day.Anyhow another Jah Signal song soon came on and this one interpolated the popular 'Ndine Mukomana Wangu' by Safirio Madzikatire.The one after that was definitely influenced by a popular Shona Hymn 'Ndiri Ndega Ndinotya' and thats when a trend became very apparent to yours truly.
Outrightly bashing Sigi for making a living from interpolating or refixing popular songs would be ignorant because the man does have talent and he also has some really impressive songs whose composition would seem original at least on the surface.However it seems when the creative juices run dry Jah Signal is likely to resort to his trusted formula of putting a contemporary spin to yesteryear hits and jenaguru lit jiti melodies of old.Done properly as he has in the past this can produce hits but too much of anything has been known to make one sick.Monotony and longevity are not bedmates and the pariah status his sound has been given by some purist dancehall shows and fans in the country should be a wakeup call for the Shinga Muroora hitmaker.
Sample clearance is also a very complex issue in Zimbabwe as his tiff with Pastor Charles Charamba clearly revealed.The talent is there,the vocals are out of this world and his hitmaking status is not really up for question but we believe its hight time Jah Signal embraced diversity and original compositions while exploring the extremes of his artistry.He can still spin the odd classic into a new school hit without making it his trademark like most of his peers for a holistic long lasting sound that will be replicated by young turks coming after him.
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