Jah Prayzah this year did the unthinkable, or what no one expected rather when he released two albums on back to back days. This was a feat in honour of the two sides of his music and the two groupings of his fans. Over the years he has encountered differing opinions from those who love his music and while others hoped he would make more traditional songs, another group hoped for more of the urban sound.
The desire to satisfy these two groups resulted in him releasing two albums on one weekend in May. Chiremerera arrived as his 12th studio album, and it is dedicated to his traditional contemporary sound. The 13 track project is more than just a Jah Prayzah album but credit due must be given to the Third Generation band. It is Jah at the heart of this project but it wouldn’t be what it is without the band in tow.
Chiremerera, refers to stature in English or a certain weight of importance placed on a person. This is a title justified by the weight of the album’s content. It is rich in Shona and bound by life lessons, with a distinctly Zimbabwean sound. The reverberating sound of Jah’s voice alongside the soft natured voice of his backing vocalists, compliment each other greatly and define how this album hits the ear.
Sarungano was released as the lead up single to the album’s release and it’s a duet that features Feli Nandi. The song talks about once upon a time. A love that ended just as it began because the world conspired against it. “Zvakagumira pasarungano” as the track’s lyrics go conveys the notion that the fairytale love didn’t make it past the beginning.
Sarungano alongside the title track Chiremerera and Zibundu have so far been the fan favourites. Zibundu in this context translates to a grudge and the song is a reflection on a deep anger held within. The chorus asks for those who came before to help untie that pocket of anger we’re holding onto. This is reflected in the lyrics, “Mutikumbirire kuvakuru, vatisunungure zibundu, chipfuva kuzara nehasha, ibundu rehuturu”.
Since the album’s release, Chiremerera the title track has been said to have political connotations. Something we’ve become accustomed to with Jah Prayzah’s music as people always place his lyrics within the political landscape. However the song is a multi-layered story about being at your destined station in society, among other things. It is upbeat and energetic, which is the polar opposite of most of the tone of this album.
Hauone danda riri muziso mako
Unongoona katanda kari muziso mako
Nekuti unoda kundibvisa chiremerera
Ndakagara pandakagadzikwa (chiremerera)
Handina kubvisa ndakasarudzwa (chiremerera)
Ndine zodzo ndine mhondoro (chiremerera)
Ndakakumura nyembe ndakumura (chiremererera)
Vane nyota ndiri tsime (chiremerera)
Mhandu yenhamo, the enemy of struggle, is a song about finding ways to escape poverty. The song has an easy tempo, along harmonising in the vocals between Jah and the backing singers. Mhandu yenhamo strikes a very emotive note. Jah sings, “Musandipe katsanga katsanga ndinodawo munda, ndipei mazano ndive mhandu yenhamo, ndoda iri mhou kwete mukaka”, a request for capacitation. To borrow from that old English saying, he wants to be taught to fish instead of being given a fish.
Kurarama, living, is very introspective song that reflects on life and mental well-being to some regard. The lyrics, “Hakuna anorarama nemhanza yakanaka, hakuna anorarama nemasanga” bring out that life is not a pointless exercise without purpose. On the chorus Jah Prayzah sings, “Tiri vazhinji vanode kurarama, aiwa zvinonetsa kana ukaramwa”. This says we all want to live but but this needs us to not give up.
Pachedu, among us, is a song of the ties that bind and what it means to be tied together as family. All through Chiremerera there layer that’s added to the music by the harmony of the backing vocalists. The album is grounded by instrumentation, percussive and otherwise, which is distinctly Zimbabwean in sound. Tenda is a song of giving thanks, it is the sounds of a traditional Zimbabwean orchestra, punctuated by Jah Prayzah voices and the women backing him up.
Teya Mariva, comes from the phrase “kuteya mariva” the setting of traps usually for birds, which in the abstract means the setting of carefully laid plans. The song reflects on avoiding envy and devising your own path to success. Hasha, anger, talks about managing our emotions and it has themes of alcohol abuse and gender based violence. All through this album, Jah Prayzah consistently gives us food for thought.
Hurungudo, a pebble, is a love song that has lyrics of intense emotion over the sounds of guitar and percussion. Wanga Wakarara brings to mind Winky D’s collaboration with Killer T “Urere”, however only in subject matter and not in sound. The song is upbeat, well as upbeat as anything on this album is.
Chiremerera is overally a very somber project compared to Jah Prayzah’s previous works. It strikes a chord with it’s richness in storytelling but it slightly falls below expectations. This may be due to it’s different nature, and a lack of the fun sound Jah Prayzah usually delivers but as he said it’s a gift to his fans who particularly appreciate this side of him.
