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THE leader of Kuwadzana Fellowship Apostolic Church — Bishop Cosmas Tendai Mamombe — has added another feather on his cap by releasing an eight-track album, Kutenda Nemabasa, which has the potential to catapult him to stardom.
Bishop Mamombe, who is backed by The Psalms of Mabvazuva, in 2006 produced Nguva Yakwana, which was his first attempt on the microphone away from the pulpit. It was a flop.
His latest offering starts off with the absolute crusher Mabasa, which is characterised by pounding guitars, drums and bass. It’s definitely a cracker and one of the best off the album. Mabasa’s theme is repentance. It is a reflection of a born-again Christian, who takes an audit of the old sinful life to a point when he or she met light that led to a new life.
This is a 5-6 minutes long song, whose message is precise and hard hitting. The drumming is also a focal point of this heart-touching song and remains one of the few elements that Bishop Mamombe got right on this album.
The bass and drumming are classical and form a solid pillar holding this album together and allowing it to pass the test on even the most pretentious listener. Then enter the fast-beat song Nekutenda themed on faith as the cardinal pillar of Christianity. The song traces the faith of Old Testament heroes like Noah — the amateur carpenter who built the ark; Sarah and Abraham.
“Noah knew the God he served and his abilities. I also made reference to the faith of Sarah and the level of obedience exuded by Abraham God demanded that he sacrificed his only son — Isaac. Faith pleases God,” explained Bishop Mamombe. Bishop Mamombe, whose church draws its discipleship in Nyanga, Rusape, Headlands, Nyazura, Macheke and Mutungagore, among others, proved his composing mastery by cleverly avoiding sinking to the predictable verse-chorus-verse style of playing.
He tried very hard to make the stanzas different, interesting and unpredictable such that they intentionally extended the music to the point of vigour. To make one final plus to the band’s sound, the production was exceedingly perfect.
The other ear-catching song is Vafundisi. Bishop Mamombe in this song dares to caution “men of cloth” against the “love of money”.
“I am a pastor too and the message in this song will touch raw nerves with my colleagues in the ministry. I am only an outlet of disgruntlement simmering in these churches as the flock complains that today’s pastors prioritize money. I am only a voice of the voiceless.
This issue is contentious is dampening morale in most churches,” said Bishop Mamombe.
Other songs that make up the album include Jesu Idombo, Jehovah Werunyararo, Pamuchinjiko, Mweya Mutsvene — a worship song, and Komborera Zimbabwe.
The songs Jesu Idombo, Jehovah Werunyararo and Pamuchinjiko sound very high and weak. The drums have an annoying click and are topped off by the all-too-prominent bass drum that definitely subtracted from the overall sound.
However, the guitars on Mweya Mutsvene and Komborera Zimbabwe are not vile. There is a balance as the bass comes through mildly. These two songs put an extremely positive worship dimension to the album. The album was produced at Laiton Studios in Harare. It is readily available on the market and a must-have for gospel music lovers.
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