MUSICIAN Bornface Mukwada has hit the airwaves with a six-track sungura album titled Chivaraidze, a Shona word usually referring to a beloved one, comforter and entertainer. Mukwada said the six tracks Jadel, Rairo, Chivaraidze, Vane Rudo, Mutoro Unorema and Dzinza Renhamo reflected the complexities people faced in their day-to-day love and marriage life experiences.
Mukwada, who plays the lead guitar and lead vocals, and his outfit Chimbishi Express which is consist of Benson Munhu (drums), Ishmael Chimboma (rhythm), Shadreck Ndlupo (backing vocals), void Kadungure (bass guitar) in unison blamed their absence from showbiz to lack of a powerful public address system and a drum set which they need to stage cast their highly followed music.
The musician said his songs carryied love messages. The first track Jadel is about a naughty and often referred to ill-disciplined adolescent child who after some reproductive health lessons at school surprisingly thanks his mother for not using the Jadel as a family planning method. Rairo, he said, is a counselling song which Chimbishi Express fans should dance to.
“Vane Rudo simply tells people that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Every woman has a hidden beauty which is best known to her lover. Women who may not be blessed with spotlight looks stay in their marriages because they think of best practices in love and are relentlessly submissive to their husbands. Chivaraidze hails a lover as an entertainer,” Mukwada told NewsDay Life & Style.
Mutoro Unorema and Dzinza Renhamo are the other two tracks which wind up the album. Mukwada has close to eight music albums and has this time around solidified his sungura music style which brings back memories of the late Leonard Dembo while his voice confuses many who would like to compare him with Madzibaba Nicholas Zacharia. Mukwada, however, retains novelty through his technique of transferring speech to singing long phrases and rests to pick up tweaky notes on his lead guitar.
The song Vane Rudo carries the same sentiments with, however, some contrasts with the likes of the late Paul Matavire’s Chipuka Ndipe Mwenje, Alick Macheso and Leornard Dembo who sang against men who dwell on the beauty of a woman. They all concur that a woman’s beauty is best known to her lover and that should be respected at any given time.
“I would like to stick to authentic sungura music through making good music arrangements on all three guitars. I am also looking forward to committed band members as most of them quickly lose interest in commitment to duty and developing desired skills when they fail to endure financial drought spells. Killian Manyika of the Madzvinyu Asina Miswe fame is a good friend of mine and he often comes to help me with backing vocals either during studio recordings and or live performances. Manyika helped me with his expertise on Chivaraidze,” he said.
Outside music Mukwada does brazing and welding and is arguably the most sought-after solutions provider for sealing all the cracks and gaps caused by rust and strains from bad road surfaces such as potholes and horrid bruises on trucks and buses caused by humps and potholes. Mukwada has five music albums and single — Chitekedza (2006), Nhanzva (2008), Ziso Rerudo (2013), Nherera Single (2021), Mutimbwa (2021) and Chivaraidze (2024). From this discography emerged hits like Nyemudzai, Nherera, Mutimbwa and Vane Rudo.
- Mukwada releases fifth sungura album
Keep Reading
