Through his latest release, Dreams for sale by Praise Umali shines the brightest. The album offers a trifecta of strong compositions, vocal flex and impressive collaborations.
Released last week, the album is a talent showcase wrapped in 12 songs that mostly run between two and three minutes, and by the time the final song fade out, I was unequivocally convinced I had just listened to one of the finest local albums in recent memory.
Without further ado, below is a thorough dissection of it.
These Days
The song screams “I can do pretty much everything” and he really does it all. He starts the song in a low register with little embellishment. As the second verse starts, he literally speaks: “Wait, wait, we got a choir now? Okay, I’ll take it higher then.” He then shifts into mixed voice and falsetto, with his high register floating before transitioning into rap. The dexterity and composure in his rapping are top notch. The choir, in the second verse, adds elegance. The harmonies and unisons add depth and musicality. The message is powerful and captures how life is these days.
‘Flight Mode’ featuring Teddy Makadi
The song narrates how his heart has closed itself off from love. It goes, in part: “Utatopa mesa ukanangonena. Ukanandiuza baby zoti pali ena. Ine ukanandiuza. But see I have been bleeding on people now, zinthu zosawakhuza izi. Baby because of you. Ena alirapo cause of you. Because of you, my heart inajama mu flight mode…”
Teddy swims through the second verse with his smooth vocals and layered backing harmonies.
Bima Lover
This will likely be a popular song at weddings. The bass vocals add depth and vibe to the song. With the high octave added to the bass, the song has enough ground for both male and female audiences to sing along. Another highlight is the chorus. The lines: “Lero limenelo lero, lero limenelo lero. Lero limenelo lero my baby takula”, are sang in three octaves and when they are repeated, harmonies are splashed in four parts – two being octaves, one layer above the lead and the other below the lead. The beat starts softly before a surge of energy rolls in at 0:17 and the beat produces magic towards the end.
‘Loud’ featuring Amanda Black
“I’ve seen the scars and they have been fading. I’ve been here and I’ve been waiting. You scared of loving, scared of hurting. But if I don’t love you then I lose you… You don’t have to be scared. Love, you can love me loud loud. Love me loud…” goes the song in part.
Then, Amanda Black does justice to the song. She glides into the song with remarkable grace. She starts the verse almost whispering, expressing emotion through her vocals. Her vocals are clean, with subtle vocal runs that are sparsely applied.
Smoothly, she glides through the verse before powering into the chorus, a contrast that heightens the emotional impact.
Ameni
The beat is minimal and lets the message dominate. The song strikes a chord with listeners who have lost loved ones. It is filled with grief-laden questions.
It goes: “Ngati mwalemba Ameni. Zikhale choncho Ameni. Tivomeleza Ameni. Mitima ikuwawa Ameni. Kodi simmationa? Mbuye simmatikonda? Timadabwa. Timakhala ndi mafunso. Onani tikulira pano. Makolo akulira pano. Poti ayamba kupita ndi ana awo. Makolo akwilira bwanji ana awo.”
The choral section toward the end is churchy and reinforces the belief, reflected in the lyrics, that events unfold according to the will of God – a common sentiment among churchgoers.
‘Blessings’ featuring Theresa Phondo
“Zonse tayale. My location ndi mmanja mwa Yahwe. Za ine anakonza kale. Iye kalekale. Nde zaine I don’t worry. Ndimadziwa kuti mmanja mwake there’s blessings on me…I pray mercies on me. I know mmanja mwake tiri okay okay…”
Theresa Phondo enters in the second verse with composure, vibe, excellent vocal technique and exquisite wordplay. Her touch adds a variety that takes the song a notch up.
Praise Umali goes on to impress with songs such as Let Me Go featuring Driemo, Sindimamva, Mantha, Energy and Mwina interlude.
The album is solid and musically rich. It succeeds because it balances technical excellence and emotional honesty. Through strong songwriting, rich vocal arrangements and carefully selected collaborations, Praise Umali delivers to ceiling-scraping heights.
