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Oliver Mtukudzi’s teenage son Sam has launched his debut album, Rume Rimwe, heralding the breakthrough into recording by the 19-year-old as an individual project away from his father’s towering shadow. Aptly titled Rume Rimwe, literally meaning “my own man”, the album reflects Sam’s vision and concept of life: that it is never too soon to be ready and ripe enough to undertake one’s journey into the highs and lows of life. The album was officially launched to the news media and radio personalities at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton just before Christmas. Sam is a product of Pakare Paye Arts Centre and in February his debut was jostling competitively in the charts. “This album separates me, as an artist, from my father who has nurtured and developed me all these years. Its like Rume Rimwe says, ‘Hey, I am Sam…look at me as Sam, don’t see Oliver when you look or listen to me or when you judge me…see a different man.’ That is the whole concept,” Sam told tukumusic.com. “All he (Oliver) can do is to be there for me as a great father. Through this debut album dad gives me the blessings to be my own man now. And it’s never too soon for anyone in the arts…and in life, for that matter, to be your own man.” Philosophical in speech and prose but humble and humorous – a rare gift of nature shared by Sam and his father – the younger Mtukudzi sees Rume Rimwe as a reflection of his initiation into the rigors of music and believes he is cut out for the grueling task ahead – performing, touring and recording at the same time in between personal life. “This debut will reflect who I am as long as the album exists. Whatever album comes later will be influenced by other things, not this one. Rume Rimwe is just me, myself…it is my reflection of so many stations of life. ”Sam has not been stingy on the debut giving it all to his fans and friends in music, this bumper 12-track album, produced by Tuku under Tuku Music. “Some artists would love to save songs for their next album and for the next one too…and so on and so on. But I wouldn’t do that. I could even have gone up to put 18 tracks on this album because God has given me the talent to write and sing…and there is always inspiration all around me providing emotions where I draw endless lyrics.” Rume Rimwe, which took Sam a good two years to put together, is a mixture of quite serious happy-dance stuff and some soulful listeners’ type daily life reflections. Each song that Sam writes takes a feel of the genre that he composes in. He plays and writes upon feeling but generally his sound can be defined as a fusion of tukumusic and jazz – a blend that cannot separate father and son in their technical approach to sound. Members of AY Band, a group of young artists developed over the years at Pakare Paye, were instrumental in the recording. Sam did guitars and sax including the lead and backing vocals. – tukumusic.com |
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