Third reggae album for Kenny Wailer

Like wine that matures with time, the music of Kenny Murabi is easily penetrating the South African reggae fraternity with a mighty sound. Known as Kenny Wailer by his fans, Murabi has just released his third album Tshikhokhonono (a Venda name for insect) which is being received with enthusiasm by reggae music lovers.

A teacher by profession, Murabi is gaining great popularity among reggae music lovers because of his unique style, which consists of heavy bass sounds, some chopping sounds and occasional well-positioned brass.

“If I die now, I will die a happy man because I have accomplished my mission of releasing a more mature album which took me more than seven years to compile,” he said jokingly during an interview.

Murabi, who hails from Mianzwi Tshidane, north of Thohoyandou, says it has been a long and winding road for him to be where he is today. “I fell in love with music at a very young age. I used to emulate my late brother, Joas, who used to sing for the Venda Northern Trumpets in the eighties. His famous composition Saulo Saulo U Ntovholelani gained great popularity and it was an instant hit with the then Radio Venda. I then made my own guitar, using an old oil tin, wood and fish line. And the rest is now history…”

The dreadlocked singer released his first album, Holly War, in 1999. He said about his first album: “It performed very well and I wanted music lovers to enjoy it fully before going back to the studio. Holly War was then followed by Tsha ri vhone, which was released in 2005. I was under pressure from my fans to release another album, hence the release of my third album Tshikhokhonono.”

Besides the title track (Tshikhokhonono) itself, the album boasts sweet reggae music songs like I’m not alone, Sing Development, Muzika, A hu na, Ma BBF, Faranani, Ni a mu funa naa and Ni so ngo tsha mmbudza. All these songs were recorded in Murabi’s own recording studio, MURAK, which is situated at his home. The album is receiving massive airplay both on national and regional radio stations.

He says since the release of his album a month ago, his diary is full of bookings for performances as his fans want to see his unique musical talent live on stage. “I perform all my shows live and that is why people never get tired of watching me on stage. I do a lot of rehearsals to make sure that my fans get the same quality of music that they get from my CDs.”

For CDs, public performances and bookings, Murabi can be contacted on 082 401 9730.

Entertainment - Date: 19 September 2013

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