Although still considerably young, Shashl is a voice that has been on our airwaves for some time now. The 23 year old released her debut single “No More” in 2017, at just 17 years of age. A year later it was followed by “Blow it in the Wind” her first single under a major label, after she had signed under Universal Music Group Africa. Shashl broke barriers by being the first Zimbabwean female artist to do so.
Born Ashleigh Angel Moyo, the name Shashl came to be as a combination of her sisters name Sharice and her first name Ashleigh. Often confused because they looked alike, people would begin to call Sharice and then realize it’s Ashleigh. Which resulted in something along the lines of Shashl. In addition to her vocal gift, Shashl is a multi-instrumentalist capable of playing ten instruments. These include the mbira, guitar (lead & bass), piano, marimba, saxophone, and cello among others.
The variety in her instrumentalism is similar to the variety in the music she delivers. Although Afro-Soul feels like where she’s most at home, Shashl has a sound that is a mix of RnB, Afrobeats and a bit of Afro-fusion. In 2022 she delivered her debut ablum Highway. A 14 track project featuring various Gemma Griffiths, Enzo Ishall, Tocky Vibes, Nice Killer, Herman, Jah Master, and Holy Ten. An impressive debut and Solitude the EP comes as the follow up project that.
While Highway was extremely diverse and a project she described as testing the waters, the recently released Solitude is much more focused in sound. It has what could be described as a sensual nature and although only 6 tracks long, you can see what Shashl is doing. The music is tender and it has a certain soulful feel that’s exuded by vocals. Juxtaposed to it’s title, Solitude is very much an album about love.
Solitude the EP Tracklist:
1. Invited
2. Only
3. Irie
4. Mbavha
5. Remedy
6. What’s the point?
The album kicks off with the track Invited. A letter of invitation for people to witness Shashl embracing her purpose. It’s softly sung over an Amapiano instrumental and it is a song about her confidence in her future more than anything. Only ft Nutty O is a song that contains mixed feelings. While the principal theme is a feeling of being taken for granted, there’s still bottomless love and a belief things could workout.
Irie has the sound of an Afro-Soul track while infused with a bit of the Amapiano log drum. It feels very much on the surface and doesn’t carry deeper emotions like the two previous tracks. One of the qualities of the music on Solitude is that it’s very easy to listen to. There’s even a lightness when the subject matter feels heavy. The EP is also a tale of two sides, half log drum and Amapiano, and half Afropop and Afrobeats.
Mbavha, thief, is a song about someone who has stolen her heart by making her fall her love. What’s The Point? questions a relationship that feels like it’s run it’s and Remedy stands out as the song on this project. It’s just the right amount of vibrance in tempo, it has the most beautiful vocals and the melodies and harmonising just come together.
Remedy feels like a capturing of that song composition that saw her nominated for an Afrimma award in the best female southern Africa category, and earned best newcomer at the Zimbabwe Music Awards. Overall however it’s a decent project. They’re certain moments when the melodies don’t work, or the composition of the song feels rushed but you can see what Shashl is trying to do. You feel like she’s close to figuring out the right recipe for her sound, and that’s a step in the right direction.
The album is available on all streaming platforms.
