Mc Kampton is an up-coming Zim Dancehall artist who recently caught our attention with the new song “Telephone Loving” which features Anita Jaxson. With a unique video concept, which sees MC Kampton and Anita Jaxson communicating via video call this might be a tune for the lockdown.
Anita blesses the camera with her sensual yet friendly aura taking us on a mini-tour of her bedroom. Smiling, winking and lying on the bed in a not so suggestive position but hey, if you know…
Mc Kampton on the hand took us on a tour of his yard and also surprised us with his dog.
“I’m counting down the days” Mc Kampton sorrowly expressing how much he misses his girlfriend because of the shutdown. “Mi don wuh telephone” shows he needs more than a conversation. Mc Kampton’s ultimate goal is to have a face to face experience with Anita Jaxson. On the other end, Anita quite bluntly expresses how she would love to “Kiss and caress“ and have him “unzip her dress”. The diversity in language using English and Shona to express how they both feel gives Zimbabweans with a taste for Reggae something to look forward to.
Vocally, Anita has a very bright feminine sound which blossoms as she ends her phrases and produces various ad-libs. Her sing/rap style has this dark chocolate sound accompanied by a sexy undertone that could tickle the ears of the listener. There is a deep emotional touch when she ends her verse “You are the perfect energy”.
Although his Jamaican accent and husky voice show off his masculine tone which a lot of men will be able to relate to; Mc Kampton’s sound is monotonous and does not have as much presence. The background vocals on Mc Kampton’s verse have some sweet harmonies that are soothing to the ear.
Telephone Loving is a mid-tempo song that echoes West Indies and Hip Hop culture while giving R&B a chance to breathe. Getting deeper into the song there is a mixed bag of trap drums, reggae synthesizers, a discreet yet soulful violin that comes in here and there. The compilation of various sounds gives the song a “Summertime sing-along“ sound which the audience could possibly enjoy. With the opening of Anita’s verse, there was empty space that could have been filled with one or two sounds to make this track “whole”.
The chorus has the most consistent and precise sound which could capture the attention of the audience.
In terms of originality, the song has a lot of diverse sounds and uses two languages which could possibly draw in more people to listen to it. The outstanding line “Mi don wuh telephone” will definitely have people in long-distance relationships singing along during this lockdown. The song could also be heard in a night club filled with Dancehall lovers as well.
There was quite the contrast in terms of imagery between Mc Kampton and Anita Jaxson which to a certain extent wasn’t as good as it could have been. First of all, Mc Kampton could have looked more presentable. Anita Jaxson has a great presence but it would have been nice to see her do more than “look pretty” it would be more relatable for the audience as well.
Out of 10 I would give this song an 8. We are looking forward to hearing more from Mc Kampton and his crew.
