Danny Siulapwas Live scores gold
By KELVIN KACHINGWEArtiste: Danny
Album: Live SENSATIONAL is a term that has been over-used in entertainment circles. But Danny is simply sensational.
While most musicians he started with have either gone into oblivion or have failed to live-up to the potential that they showed earlier in their career, Danny, who has been called all sorts of superlatives including Masiku Onse, Yakumbuyo and Kaya continues to impress.
In the 11 years that he has been in music, in which time he has released seven albums - Mvelani, Ama Lovingi, Yakumbuyo, Kaya, Champion, 10 Years and now Live - he can have the bragging rights as the only musician to have consistently churned out hugely successful albums.
A larger-than-life musician now, his songs are social commentaries that sometimes tend to turn-away conservatives. He is certainly not one to shy away from controversy. In fact, he seems to revel in it. The more controversy he raises, the more successful his albums turn-out to be.
His latest offering, Live, is no different from his previous releases. It is wholly-laced in Danny’s attire, meaning he tells it as it is. Two songs define this album, the title-track Live and We’ll Miss You.
If you are listening to the album for the first time, you may think that it is a little over-board. And yes, it may be.
Like Yakumbuyo, the lyrics in the title-track talk about things that you can only discuss outside the public arena.
That he has turned that into music, which has been able to enjoy so much airplay, is testament to Danny’s hand of gold. The reality though is that with a song like this, there is a tendency to overlook the issues that he raises in his lyrics.
His songs are mostly edu-entertainment, and Live is not different in that respect. On the song, he reminds listeners of the reality of HIV/AIDS, and gives them the exact picture of how mostly people get engaged in unprotected sex.
This is so despite constant reminders in the media on the dangers of unprotected especially with ‘loose’ partners.
The good part with this song is that while the listener may enjoy the music, he also gets to reflect on his own social conduct.
And almost like a continuation on Live and Kaya, he has We’ll Miss You, featuring Wendy Harawa. This writer once strayed into Danny’s studio, Mad House, at the Lusaka Playhouse during the recording of this song.
For almost an hour, he was trying to get Wendy to do one line. Yes, one line. Well, lets us just say this writer did not see anything wrong with the way Wendy was doing her line. But listening to the song, one understands why Danny was insistent that she delivers them in a certain way.
The song sounds more like a follow-up of Kaya, on which he wondered whether he will be able to make it to 2010. Having himself made it through, he reflects on the good times that he enjoyed together with his friend who has unfortunately gone to the Other Side of Town.
And just to spice it up, he talks about the current happenings here in a way that looks like he is updating his friend. He also in turn asks what is happening the other side specifically mentioning how MJ (Michael Jackson) and Tupac are.
Though a sombre song, it has an upbeat fell to it, making it a celebratory anthem for those that lost loved ones.
With Live, Danny has certainly scored another gold medal.
<>
