SONG: Niache niimbe by Pitson

Rating: 7/10

This song bears an uncanny resemblance to the much slower Todii by Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi, with that swing-step, afro-beat and lead guitar licks that  are dramatically re-configured towards the climax to change the song into a full-blown Lingala seben session.

The lyrics are also full of substance and should earn the hit-maker a rabid fan base across the parent-child divide.

Pitson uses the song to address parents who have a hard time accepting their children’s musical ambitions, offering a clever compromise in the process.

“Ikiwa nitakuwa rubani, niendeshe ndege, niwe rubani, rubani anayeimba...” which loosely translates to: “Mum, dad, if I have to become a pilot, at least let me be a pilot who’s also a  singer...”

The video looks a little dull and has titling typos at the end, but is, thankfully, overshadowed by a solid, live instrumentation that boasts a near-perfect mix-down and noteworthy simplicity.

What else would you expect from a project that was worked on by a team of top professionals that included Bruce Odhiambo, one of Kenya’s iconic music production pioneers?

But not to spoil a good party, it is noted that a discerning viewer would easily pick out the mismatch between the video and audio energies, precisely because there are too many slow-motion scenes featured in a lively, African beat. However, the good news is that in our music industry, good audio trumps good videos any time.

For example, Mercy Masika’s Mwema is now ruling the gospel music charts even though it has a simple, basic video. And let’s not even mention Daddy Owen’s Vanity, which is already on everyone’s lips even before the official video is out.