Willom Tight bounces back

Willom Tight

TALENTED musician Willom Tight has bounced back with a fourth album that is set to consolidate his status as one of Zimbabwe's polished young musicians. The album, titled "Chinyerere", is already receiving a considerable amount of airplay on the local radio stations. Willom Tight - whose real name is Wilbroad Muponda - last made waves with the album "Kuza Ngoma" in 2007.

This was also largely attributed to his split with his fellow musician and close friend Dino Mudondo, with whom he recorded a number of duets among them "Bhazi" and "Makoikoi". Willom said his sabbatical was largely due to inadequate funding to record more albums. "I have been silent because I wanted to record my own self-funded projects and desist from relying on sponsors hence the long absence.

"All three of my previous albums were donor-funded projects," said Willom Tight, adding that he had also been concentrating on private functions. On his relationship with Dino, he said there was no bad blood between them. "We are tight bosom buddies. The only thing is that Dino has his own band while I have my own. In fact, there are some music promoters in Maputo (Mozambique) who have requested us to go there and perform together."

"Chinyerere" is Willom Tight's fourth career release after "Ndinoda Wangu" (2000), "Hodzeko" (2003) and his 2007 project "Kuza Ngoma". "On ‘Chinyerere', I was simply saying that I might be quiet and humble but my music cannot afford to be quiet as it addresses a variety of issues affecting people. It is an album that reminds people of the Willom Tight they have always known and it is about maturity," he said. Tracks to look forward to include "Yabatwa", which shows the confusion that grips some people when money comes their way.

"Mukoma Joe" chides some people for their social rot and misdemeanours ranging from alcoholism, child abuse and spread of HIV and Aids wilfully. People are reminded to repay their debts in the humourous song "Mari Yangu". The late musician Sam Mtukudzi is remembered in the song "Tribute to Sam Mtukudzi (Wakaenda Usina Kuoneka)".Willom Tight said about this song: "Sam was like a young brother to me. I worked with his father on projects like ‘Tuku and Friends' and ‘Abiangu' apart from holding gigs together.

"When he (Sam) died we were in the middle recording a track together and I then decided to dedicate this one to him," he said. (Herald)