Siyauyazi Mshengu

NOMFUNDO MOH'SALBUM REVIEW: UGCOBO By: Siyauyazi Mshengu Okay, wefinally get to hear Nomfundo Ngcobo's new album, Ugcobo, which is a follow-up to her debut album, Amagama, which received an overwhelming response with a lot of appreciation and affection from her fans. Nomfundo Moh, also known as her stage name, has ensured that she preserves the R&B, Hip-hop, Jazz, and even Maskandi feel drawing from retro and present sounds. The album contains a total 14 songs with features from the likes of Simmy, Bongane Sax, Afrotraction, Big Zulu, Ntencane, Sphesihle Zulu, Jaiva Zimnike and Naxion Cross. However, this new body of work has piqued my interest. I only slightly heard Amalobola playing on Metro FM in my sleep this Saturday morning, I believe I was half asleep, but I had to download the complete album so that i could listen to each of the songs. The 22-year-old songstress from KwaZulu-Natal has opted to balance and address love, spirituality, personal growth, and romance, with such infrequent delights from the compilation ensuring the wait for the whole body of work is a relatable one. Noyana is an introductory  track with a sense of healing, while Isthombe drives home an emotion of dispossession and Big Zulu -assisted  instrumentation track, Amalobola. The song is terrific, but I'm still not sure why Big Zulu is in it. I wish I could somehow conceal his part, not that I hate him but Moh should ease down on the features, it's too much and redundant. I have a few personal favourites from the album, such as Uthando Lunye, Nanini which features Simmy, Ndaba Zabantu, Wamqoma Kanjani and so on. The album's pace is continually played with and the final result is like one brilliant feast of imagination and daydreaming. Moh's vocal tones are pitch-perfect for their respective musical backdrops, the transitions between tracks are seamless, fully transporting the listener listening to the album; you can feel the connections coming back together one by one. [ 7.5 album rating ]