Navy Kenzo’s Above In A Minute album review (track by track)

After a longtime winding discussion, finally Navy Kenzo has made a landslide release of their new hot album ‘Above In A Minute’ (AIM). A release of such vibrant album has made Navy Kenzo end a year 2016 with a shocking hit, but also opens the New Year 2017 more exciting.

It is certainly true; AIM is the album that will ever be a reference and a wakeup call to artists in Tanzania to release albums that will sell. Despite all the misfortune caused by frequent loss in the distribution of albums before, there is a way-out that Navy Kenzo has paved in the industry.

Navy Kenzo has nailed it in time as they dared and have finally done. AIM exposes them to the bridge of success in Tanzania. With the last year Awards and the Nomination to the MTV MAMA Awards, the video of their 3 standalone songs (Game, Kamatia and Feel Good), which rocked up and ranked top in different TV channels attracted over 4.9 million viewers in Youtube, AIM as the vibrant music album now makes Navy Kenzo official as the second most successful Music group in East Africa after a thrilling Kenya’s Sauti Sol.

Before reviewing of 11 hot ever songs compiled to make the album, I testify that, AIM is the album I rejoice to listen from song one to end repeatedly, often and a lot. I have received myriad albums from American artists that for sure I ended up listening to only a few, they are not such hot, not interesting but a collection of few good and many junks, but not for AIM.

AIM is not only the album; it is a hot-all standalone collection of songs, not just a compilation of songs to make an album. Uh! AIM is terrific and the best album I have ever heard and have in many years. I am assuring you, you can’t skip any song in the album. All the songs in the album sound amusing, they are standalone hit singles in radio charts. Many songs in the album are produced by Nahreel except few, to mention are Done, Young and Feel Good Remix.

Let’s start to review song after song:

1. LINI- Navy Kenzo Feat. ALI KIBA

I salute Navy Kenzo for making LINI an opening song of this album. LINI is a sweet song, a hybrid of dancehall, R&B and Bongo Flava. Aika is a lady who first set this song on air with a forthcoming sweet verse where Nahreel rocks in well with a short dancehall flavored bridge.

The chorus featured all the big three, Nahreel in leads. Alikiba enters in the second verse to make it sound sweet and vibrant in dance to reflect Bongo Flava hot taste. Kiba on his verse displays his chameleonic ability by producing his own kind of R&B flavor.

LINI is a song that has already been hot and a day-chat mover and frequently played in different radio stations. It’s a song that will ever hit and endure referring to the enormous fan base behind Kiba -TeamKiba. Pending now is the video of this song which previously was planned and failed due to schedules overlap.

2. BHENGA

After a brief scream from Nahreel, Aika is the one who opens his voice accompanied by the sound of children and audible rustle; you can hear this in ears as you listen on earphones. Nahreel went a little further for a bridge with interesting and stringed instruments and synch which properly mastered. Nahreel enters the second verse in Swahili and Patois. In verse three, they all sound marvelous as Nahreel ending the song by repeating the word ‘Bhenga’ several times.

3. BAJAJ F/ PATORANKING

BAJAJ is one of the thrilling and hot songs featured in the album. Of course, despite the wonderful recording of a song, the presence of Patoranking is making it more hot, audible and strong in air. BAJAJ is also a dancehall and R&B hybrid song. The song begins with a piano played by Nahreel starting with a roar explaining the importance of making your girlfriend feel loved and she is the only one. His make is that, a man should rejoice with a girlfriend out for dinner, unlocking and opening door of the car for her, smiling after and before a car packing. The chorus sung by Nahreel, ‘mwanamke sio bajaj ukipanda ukishuka unasahau, sio bajaj wala pikipiki.’ The Swahili verse in English mean, ‘A woman is not as Bajaj where you can land on and land off carelessly, not bajaj not motorcycle.’ So wonderful!

Pato enters the second verse with his fierce dancehall sound and patois, like a man born in Jamaica; his sound is technically vibrant. In his verse, Patoranking explains that, if you disrespect your partner imprecisely, she will tell you goodbye or will rob another man who will take her to Dubai. Am hooked with this verse, ‘better take her for vacation, before she puts you on probation.’ Aika helps Patoranking to repeat the last verse in Swahili.
In the verse, Aika explains how she loved the only man (Nahreel) who is humble and loving. Her verse is rocking far influenced by a well set hand base with a rolling beat ruling the sky.

4. FEEL GOOD

Feel Good is the first single from this album and its video is the only official release so far. Despite of its contagious look to the audience, to me, Feel Good technically dissolved after Bhenga. This is true because, AIM is the only album packed with only hit songs that are standalone release in music ranking. There are good songs that may seem common among others but, they are not just songs, they are hit standalone singles.

However, Feel Good as the standalone single, weak in my thoughts, still the song has been hot that could give more success to the AIM album beyond the borders from Tanzania. There is a no doubt truth, Feel Good is a song that allegedly did and still doing extremely wonderful in Israel and in the Middle East as well as North Africa. The impact of Feel Good as a standalone single did not end up ruling the sky, it also led to one of a renowned DJ and producer in Israel, Moshe Buskila to stand up asking for an official remix that also included in making the album hot. Moshe did not end with a remix; he also produced the last song of the album with a single name, Young.

5. DONE F/ MR EAZI

DONE is a break up song. The production of DONE featured Mr Eazi, an artist originally from Nigeria but having his residence in Ghana. DONE is one of my favorite songs in the album. The only weak spot in the song, on my view is about the sound mixing on the Eazi’s verse. Hope the producer of the song deliberately decided to make it awkward, still it is as vague as you hear on the earphones and listen to Eazi’s sound; it is set louder on one side, not balanced.

6. MORNING

In a countdown, MORNING is the song I like most in the AIM album. Not only because of its romantic message, but this is a song that Nahreel probably sang in a top notch and feeling higher than all the tracks compiled to make the album. Hope when he recorded the audio, Nahreel was engrossed mentally to her girlfriend Aika who romantically impressed him. Uh! am forced to laugh guys, am also hooked with this making!

MORNING has made Nahreel to prove beyond doubt that, he has a great inner potential in developing and producing attractive melody by diverting any into dancehall also R&B. The chorus is melodically sweet although it is hard to understand its verse particles until when Aika ends the verse marvelously with a repetition.

The same as Nahreel, Aika also enters with her verse sang in a more radiance romantic voice. The verse sounds sweet revealing Aika’s skills in mastering of a wide range of sound waves and melody bridges throughout. Morning is the fresh song, romantic, hooking and only the song that can be dedicated to all loved ones.

7. FEEL GOOD (REMIX)

If you thought Feel Good is a club banger, just listen to a remix produced by DJ Moshe Buskila in Israel. The remix is so vibrant, hope now and certainly this will be the darling of many entertainment DJ’s across the world. DJ Moshe has successfully produced a mixing that’s well fits both the EDM rhythm and vibrant dancehall.

8. LINI (PART 2)

If you’ve seen the back cover of AIM as an album, hope you might have been thinking about LINI PART 2 and LINI which featured Alikiba to be identical twins or the same. There is a big No, Part 2 is very different – rather it is a standalone song that deserved a different name in which no one would have come close to notice the difference. LINI Part 2 is a vibrant R & B song, the mix and instruments melody can make you feel listening R&B song of the American origin which probably you are unable to remember the artist who sang it.

9. BLESS UP F/ ROSA REE

Bless Up is a certified club banger and one of my favorite songs in the album. It is a song that makes any audience to go higher vibrant and dance. My take is open, the day they’ll come to recording a video the song will be a hit song worldwide especially in Europe and the Caribbean. Bless Up reflects some Sean Kingston’s old songs but Navy Kenzo composed it for a new dancehall generation. And if you had fear to shout that Nahreel is a number one dancehall artist, now I am sure you will not hesitate to tell the world.

The contribution of Rosa Ree in their label (The Industry), making this song kiss the moon. Rose demonstrated her ability after merging both Hip-hop and dancehall to produce sweet R & B melodies.

10. NIPENDELEE F/ R2BEES

NIPENDELEE is another beautiful romantic song, with nice chunks of beats and chorus in Swahili. The chorus sung by Nahreel covered with a background low voice by G-Nako. Nahreel begins with a stunning verse in Swahili, very vibrant with Patois. One of the stunning members of a music group known as R2Bees from Ghana also featured on the second verse quite well. Aika enters the second verse and at the bridge to make it more sweet by saying ‘treat me like a real woman, you got me feel more human.’ A featured man from R2Bees who is a hip-hop rapper is not well heard in this song – maybe he did not rap but sang.

11. YOUNG

Young is a song produced by DJ Moshe Buskila. What do you expect? It is one of the EDM lumps which take the album roar to an end.

My credit and recommendation

How many stars am I voting for this album out of 5? I am giving it 5. Ask me why? My answer is simple; the album is everything, no alternative and no one like Navy Kenzo elsewhere. If you want to prove me wrong, grab your original album copy, listen and react.

Stay tuned, hope your feedback will colour my review!

Holaaaaaaa!

Reviewed by Fredrick Bundala. English translation by John Wisse.