Sir Bonzalo’s ‘The Village Boy’

• CHARISSA BEUKESSir Bonzalo recently released his new album, ‘The Village Boy’.

Sadly, the project is mild at best. This may sound harsh but I don’t think the album was well-thought-out and that is unfortunate, because the artist hasn’t done enough to win audiences over.

He’s able to flow with the beat and instrumentals with his witty lyrical ability, but even that needs a little work. Sir Bonzalo continues the repetition of lyrics, which displays a lack of creativity which can easily fatigue the listener.

Track five, ‘Ohango’, the wedding song, stands out. It talks about how a wife’s family believe that this celebration is a benefit to them, but actually it’s the groom who gains.

Track six – ‘Muatje’ featuring Himee – is a victim of an auto tune overload, which causes the efforts of the production team to fail the artist.

Track seven ‘Hallelujah’ isn’t the typical gospel song and is a bit confusing.

It’s an interesting choice to start a song with “these dudes is really pissing me off”, interspersed with singing ‘hallelujah’ on the chorus. In an interview with The Namibian, Sir Bonzalo said the song was inspired by his arrest. It’s at that moment that he realised God was the only one there for him, the artist said.

He added that the financing and marketing of the album were a strain due to a shortage of resources.

DJ Mo-Fire worked on the album alongside producers like DLH Production, Elvo and M-Jay, who feature on individual tracks. This may have contributed to the incoherent nature of the project, which includes features by two artists, Himee and D-Kandjafa, though adding substance and an energetic flow to the songs they are on.

“Kandjafa and I have been working with each other for a long time now, since my first album. We do differ in style and work ethic but it definitely was a pleasure being able to team up with him again,” said Sir Bonzalo.

The blend of songs shows a lack of style, but don’t be dismayed. There is always a silver lining. On this album, it comes in the form of track four, ‘Donkey Liefde’, which is cheerful and fun to listen to.

All in all, ‘The Village Boy’ is beautifully packaged in terms of cover art, with a picture of Sir Bonzalo sitting on a TV displaying the landscape of the north.

Anyone who’s a fan of underground local music is sure to find this album entertaining.