admin
ALICK Macheso has earned his title as the king of sungura music in this country.
It’s something that he worked hard for and due reward for his genius both as a fine guitarist and talented singer and frontman of his band Orchestra Mberikwazvo.
He has come a long way from the time he was part of the Khiama Boys to the time he decided to create his band and provide leadership for it in an industry which is as tough as it is unpredictable.
He has smashed many hurdles, which stood in his path, to work his way up the ladder and get due recognition as the number one sungura artist in this country.
There is no question that Macheso and his music appeal to millions of Zimbabweans and his fans love him because he is very original and in him they see a simple man who battled the odds to reach the very top of his industry.
Macheso has never considered himself a superstar and his humility is striking, he respects his fans and labels them “varungu vangu”, which is Shona slang for his bosses and paymasters.
He has generally tried to avoid controversy even though the Tafadzwa debacle almost dragged him down a very dark path and showed that he also has the shortcomings that affect many human beings.
The good thing is that he appears to have learnt from that dance with controversy and we now see a Macheso who is now more dedicated to his family and is battling to ensure that his two boys also get as much support as is possible in their journey as artists.
Macheso is about to launch his 13th album, Kupa Kuturika, at Alex Sports Club on August 2.
The album is expected to carry six tracks, a tradition Macheso has maintained over the years.
He has been sampling some of the new songs during his performances and told H-Metro that the album touches people’s day-to-day issues.
Macheso knows that he faces a huge challenge to ensure that he provides the market with an album which they have been waiting for all these two years.
He knows that the previous album, Tasvitswa Nashe, did not scale the heights that his fans expected.
He knows that the fans want him to go back to the days when he was releasing gems like Magariro, Vakiridzo, Simbaradzo and Zvakanaka Zvakadaro.
These albums contain vintage stuff and that is the level that Macheso is expected to release, every time he launches an album, and he should show his fans that he is not a spent force.
He should show them that he is as good, if not better, than who he was at the turn of the millennium when he was releasing those albums which sold gold.
Simbaradzo is considered the best-selling album of all-time in Zimbabwe.
Those are the levels that Macheso should try to get to when he launches his next album.
That is what his fans expect and he should deliver for them.
Online Reporter