In Zimbabwe’s contemporary music landscape, they are few artists who have stood the test of time quite like Trevor Dongo. From the rise of Urban Grooves, to it’s unceremonious end over a decade ago, and until now, he has ever been consistent.
An rnb voice that never falters, despite the prevailing winds of the Zimbabwean sound. Firmly planted roots have made him a stalwart of the country’s music, and if the videos from the Doek & Slay festival are anything to go by, then music fans truly appreciate him for that.
A vocalist and a storyteller, the subject of love has always been at the core of Trevor Dongo’s music and with his latest offering it’s more of the same. Seasons feels like a reflective body of work, that’s not only a summation of his 20 years in music but his over 2 decades long dating life. As the title says, the album is 12 tracks that tell of the different seasons in love.
From the opener Varipo, which reflects on how they’re always people trying to bring down a union, to the Wedding Song and tracks like Tisamanikidze, Trevor paints a vast landscape of love and heartbreak that feels filled with equal parts yearning and regret. The tracks on Seasons, much like seasons in real life embrace every tempest in the climate of love, with a vocal delivery reminiscent of the soulful side of Zimbabwe’s gospel music.
The album has an eclectic selection of features with Young Gemini, Freeman HKD, ExQ, Ishan, Lizibo, Yoz, Shannon, King Shaddy, Nyasha David, Tamy Moyo and Lawd Jae all lending a hand. Yet with all these artists featured, Seasons doesn’t feel like it’s chasing trends. Trevor Dongo is nothing except himself, and that same consistency is what has seen him last this long.
While the expectations of something new in sound are disappointed, Seasons has a little something for everyone in the stories it tells. It feels matured in it’s view of love, and that’s certainly something Zimbabwean society as a whole needs.
I didn’t have instant favourites but Chienda and Hurting are tracks I’ve found myself going back to, Trevor put on a decent performance on both but I’m back there mostly for Yoz and Young Gemini (respectively) who delivered memorable verses.
Seasons is a story of love that reflects on the good, the bad and the ugly. A sober rnb voice on stories that often involve riled emotions.
