Back to basics (featuring Rihanna)

By now you must have already listened to Rihanna's eighth studio album ANTI. Or at least heard popular singles from it. Like Work featuring Drake, Kiss It Better and Needed Me, which all have videos on VEVO. The album released early this year had been in the works since 2014, and was thus a very highly anticipated one. But what we got on January was something none of us ever expected. At least not me.

Rihanna is known as the queen of pop and dance (remember We Found Love?) However this new album was quite a departure from her previous sound. And that is what shocked the world. She was singing about love and drugs in an R&B and soul style that we're not used to. And of course she also included some dance hall vibes as she is from Barbados, like in the hit song Work. And this begged a very important question in our heads... What was RiRi thinking?

After getting over the shock during my first listen, I finally began to understand it. What she was thinking. She was doing something new. Reinventing herself. Who would an artiste be if she always did the same thing year in and out? Boring and obsolete, that's what. So I applauded her. I applauded her for taking a risk. And for going back to her roots. You see, for a while now I had been complaining a bit about her music. Not that it's bad or anything, but I feel she forgot her voice. She focused on the hiphop and dance beats that she ignored the fact she can actually sing adlibs. The way she did in her first albums, in the 2006 ballad Unfaithful, Hate That I Love You, Take A Bow - the list is endless.

Recently I watched her performance of Love on The Brain (from ANTI) at the Billboard Music Awards 2016. And I was impressed. The old RiRi is truly back. She is taking her back her vocal talent and actually singing. There's nothing better than that to a music lover's ears.

Sauti Sol madness

Popular boy band Sauti Sol have set a whole new international standard for Kenya. They are the first Kenyan artistes to ever hold a solo tour around the country. We only hear about such tours in America, and Europe, but never locally. That was until these four guys showed us how it’s done. They kicked off their Live and Die in Afrika tour, named after their third highly acclaimed album, in the capital city of Nairobi. In the following five weeks they travelled through major towns like Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu and Meru performing their popular hits and tracks from the new album. You can only imagine how wild these concerts must have been. And of course they had to pass by the coastal town of Mombasa, which was their final stop of the tour. Images and videos on social media are enough proof that it was a spectacular phenomenon for both fans and the band. It showed us how people can come together to create something new and extraordinary for us to enjoy.
After their successful countrywide tour, the band went to Southern Africa in May to perform at other concerts. Sauti Sol are truly on a mission to conquer the world, starting right here in their motherland.

When underrated is a good thing

Underrated artistes make the best music.

Sure, you might say popular artistes make some good music too. I agree. But it simply cannot be equalled to underrated music. Why do I say this? Well unlike popular artistes, underrated ones are not under pressure by record labels and society to make a certain kind of music. They are free, and independent. Therefore they create music that is true to who they are. That makes sense to them. And reflects their personal lives. They don't sing about what people want to hear. But what they want to say.

Even though many underrated artistes are known by less than half of the world, they have a deep impact on the people who listen to them. They have a small yet loyal following who appreciate their music. And keeps them going.

Their music is filled with deep messages that will never lose meaning or become obsolete. It remains relevant past the fads and current obsessions. It is the kind of music that speaks to the heart and soul. That touches people. And makes a difference in their lives.

Now that's what I call real music.