Album Review: Kae Chaps’ It’s Not Me, It’s You

When it comes to mastering the recipe for a hit song, they’re few artists in the current generation of stars who’ve got it right quite as well as Kae Chaps. From his debut album Vanga a few years ago until now with the release of a follow up project, he has been on an extremely impressive run of single releases. He has often occupied the role of the scorned lover and that has made him instantly relatable. It has endeared him to a lot of fans and the spotlight has been ever present on him.

The singer, songwriter and sometimes rapper, recently dropped his second album, the aptly named It’s Not Me, It’s You. An album title that reflects the storytelling that has been a major theme of Kae Chaps’ music for the past few years. If there’s an artist for the broken hearted then it’s certainly him. Not just broken by romantic entanglements but by friendships and other situations life throws at us.

It’s Not Me, It’s You comes as Kae Chaps has settled a lot more into the role of a singer. The raps are still there but they’re mostly overshadowed. Yet still they’re an important ingredient to what makes his music so good.

The album kicks off with the intro Head High, a reflective bit of music that comes in distinct sounding parts. Kae Chaps talks about his dreams and current reality, while addressing a few people in his life. It closes out with a cleverly sampled motivational speech that sounds Jamaican origin. The song has an air of melancholy and certainly feels like a piece meant just as an introduction.

Pasi featuring Nutty O comes next and it’s absolutely a vibe. The song leans towards dancehall in nature. Although Kae Chaps is yearning for the good life before his time on earth is up, the song feels upbeat. Nutty O excels on his verse, as if the track was just created for him. The hook is catchy and even during the first listen your lips are already singing “Pasati pandimedza, pasati pandimedza”.

Vana Vangu featuring Holy Ten is simply a brilliant collaboration. The mood is subdued as Kae Chaps sings about worrying only for the next generation, which are his kids in this instance. It sounds calm and it almost demands intense reflection from you. Just like every other feature on this project, Holy Ten is perfectly in tune with instrumental and right on message. It’s Not Me, It’s You has well thought out features. Every artist richly compliments Kae Chaps’ craft in a different angle, which feeds into an ever more complete image of the artist.

Sorry Boyz featuring Jnr Brown was released as the only single from this album and it was rumoured to be an R Peels diss track. Their “beef” reportedly started with a row over R Peels asking for a feature. Reference is slightly made to this on Kae Chaps’ verse. R Peels even tried to clapback after the song’s release with a tweet talked about Kae Chaps’ looks. The song itself was a bit of a backhanded apology. Kae Chaps is more subtle in his lyricism but Jnr Brown raps head on as he says “Sorry Boyz but muchapfidza nenoise, it’s not like mune choice but the hits you can’t avoid”.

The Tracy Chapman inspired interlude Mota Inomhanya, offers up melodic relief to the rather somber nature of the two songs that precede it. Kae Chaps about if onlys and the song is complimented with a beautiful sparkling guitar. Peace of Mind follows up and it’s a beautiful and soulful duet that features the gifted Gemma Griffiths. It has a gentle tempo, that immerses you in emotions every time the vocals of the two hit your ear.

All through It’s Not Me, It’s You Kae Chaps expresses a loneliness or a certain enforced solitude rather in how he experiences the world. There’s always a particular dissonance and it’s never more present than on Let It Burn ft Nokutenda. The hook on the tack poses the question, “Should we continue to pour or let it burn?” Yet it’s a song of acceptance even if what is in need of being accepted is that the relationship has failed. Kae Chaps sings as a guy who’s part of a constantly fighting couple and they’re holding on even though they see the end.

This theme of discordant unions is carried on, on the track Chandinoda Kuzivira. A song about trust and jealousy, that sees Kae Chaps questioning himself why he wants to know so much when it causes him insomnia. It’s Not Me, It’s You is softly sung throughout and constantly relatable. The album is principally RnB in nature with sparks of HipHop and even Afrobeats. Let Me Down is one such song that blends elements of the latter with beautiful vocals from Kae Chaps and Killz.

A personal favourite is Hwisiri, an energetic and upbeat tune that reflects on a not so distant past with a former lover. Kae Chaps reflects on being let down as he sings about a girl he used to go to church for. If you pay attention to the lyrics it’s quite a sad song but from the melodies and vocal delivery you can’t help but feel like dancing to his pain.

Nemoyo ft Ti Gonzi talks how Kae Chaps has enough pain and betrayal. He sings about protecting his heart by no longer being open with his emotions. It feels particularly sad and it brings to mind that feeling right after a bad break up. Mad At Me is the outro before the outro and Kae Chaps reflects on his faults, his present reality and the set backs he’s encountering. It perfectly sets up the outro proper I Don’t Wanna See You Again.

To some extent It’s Not Me, It’s You feels like a part two to his 2020 album Vanga. It’s great storytelling from start to finish and love and betrayal are ever present themes. The production is par excellence and there’s a myriad of producers who work on this album. Marty Beats, Kanaboy, Mclyne Beats, Phoenix, Lavish, AB on the track and Jusa De Mentor are all at their very best.

It’s Not Me, It’s You sacrifices some of the usual vibrancy in Kae Chaps’ music for a more emotional feel. The replay value might slightly less but the emotions the music evokes are indelible. All in all it’s really good sophomore album from the artist.