“Spectrum” offers moments of elaborate production, and not so many songs end up being vapid
Title: Spectrum
Artiste: Kagwe Mungai
Genre: Pop
Release: May 3
Right now, Kagwe Mungai perhaps falls in the top-10 list of pop artistes in Kenya. His rise to fame in the music scene was engineered partly by his looks and largely by his musical direction.
Working with a more contemporary urban sound, which gave him his original career boost, he’s made his presence in the industry quite significant. He’s a cool kid who is constantly showcasing his works, for better or worse.
His formative days seemed experimental with moments of examining the state of the music. He arrived into the scene with a guest appearance on Fena Gitu’s hit “Dutch,” and just to make his mark he offered an instant hit on “Creeper”. But betting on Kagwe’s abilities as a musician proved risky, where he exhibits moments of brilliance on some instances, he strains to maintain the same energy throughout.
The first thing that gets your attention with Kagwe’s debut album “Spectrum” is the creativity presented in the project’s cover art. Well, it’s something you’d expect of an artiste of his nature, also considering he’s closely associated with some of the country’s creative names. The other thing you notice, which is probably a letdown, is that this is a compilation of the artiste’s old tracks and about eight new tracks.
Kagwe kicks off the 15-track full-length EP with “Good Times,” a song that celebrates life and stays relevant to the current time in its lyricism. You would consider it clever that he incorporates the musical mastery of Kenyan artiste Naiboi on “Nakulike”. Radio personality Adelle Onyango introduces “Miss Obi”, a love track that interpolates Angélique Kidjo’s “Agolo”.
In order to maximise accessibility into multiple markets, Kagwe recruits talent from diverse genres. Gospel artiste Mr Seed and the Redfourth Choir join on “Ogopa Mungu,” a track that samples a popular meme excerpt of Mapigano Kwaya Ulyankulu Barabara ya 22’s “Goliati Alijifanya”. Awour Arunga offers his impressive skill on the trumpet on "Pressure," a track that details life's experiences.
Kagwe also incorporates Nigeria’s Niniola on his most essential track, “Till the End”, to elevate his presence in the African music scene.
Throughout the project, we experience Kagwe making strides and exhibiting his rap side on tracks like “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Unintentional,” and “Mama I Made It.” The album also houses “Super Seena”, which samples a popular childhood rhyme song.
The album then closes out with three old tracks selected to be on the album. This include “Bass” feat Kansoul, “African Lady” and “Doctor”.
“Spectrum” offers moments of elaborate production, and not so many songs end up being vapid. There's probably one obvious misstep on the tape: most of his listeners would have expected a record that exhibits new works only.
However, at the least, this album solidifies the underlying feeling of his signature style and production. If you disregard the flaws, you have a brilliant attempt with really distinguishing characteristics.
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5