WE’VE been seeing Big Ben on all stages, from festivals, corporate events and even the international music scene, so it comes as no surprise that his latest album took some time to complete.
The wait is over and the ‘Moro Moro’ singer is finally giving us his latest offering, ‘Back to the Basics’. The album features music ranging from rich traditional, township grooves and of course a little bit of experimental sounds here and there.
Admitting that he concentrated a lot of energy on eight tracks, the album consists of nine Otjiherero-titled tracks with the exception of track eight, which the album is titled after.
Taking the listener to a Motown feel, with lyrics like “they say I don’t have a good voice to be a superstar,” backed by a soft, pleasant but very present beat, Big Ben goes into Otjiherero and the listener will have to use all their willpower not to dance along.
It is clear that the album is Big Ben’s attempt at shying away from over-processed, over-written and over-played music and just like the title of the album, he sticks to the basics of music.
“Music with basic chords, basic and simple lyrics, basic lyrical content and raw music,” Big Ben said.
He adds that the musicians and sound engineers were under strict instruction to keep the music as raw as reasonably possible as well as unprocessed.
Known for his quality delivery with everything he does, whether it is performing for a crowd of 30 or a crowd of thousands, it comes as no surprise that he looked to industry greats when it came to the instrumentals.
“Various musicians, especially instrumentalists, worked on the album such as producer and drummer Fiston Britto, drummer Fernando Paulus, bassist Jean-Pierre Ntsika, sound engineer Derrick Villa and keyboardist Devine.”
“I perform my music live and would like to have it sound the same on both CD and stage.”
‘Back to the Basics’ starts off with the Namibia Annual Awards (NAMA) winning track ‘Africa Penduka’. It won the award for the Best Song with a Message and from title alone, which translates to “Africa, wake up”, the award is fitting.
On Ovombo (O’ombo), derived from a male driven traditional music genre called Omuhiva, Big Ben pays tribute to fallen and retired traditional musicians of the various genres of the Otjiherero-speaking people. You cannot help but appreciate the traditional sound which has traces of Ovahimba chanting.
On ‘Omedi’, Big Ben looked to poet and writer Nghidipo Nangolo for the lyrically rich song written in Oshiwambo. Recently performing the song in Oshakati, Big Ben received praise for exploring another language. The song praises a bull scouting the herd to mate and also dropped a few jaws for the direct manner in which it was written.
“I think it is time to get off my TV set, I think it is time to go and do your job… You make my president look bad, you make me really really mad.” Singing in Otjiherero and English, the lyrics on ‘Ozomboro’ say it all. Big Ben is sending a message to all politicians to stop talking and do their work.
We all have those days when we just want to be left alone to rest and just not be disturbed, especially after a tough day or week. ‘Muina’ or ‘Mr ToughTalk’ talks about a hard working person asking for silence after a hard day at work just to be disturbed by a person talking tough and making promises on television.
There is a little surprise for the listener who lets the entire album play out fully. There are two bonus tracks.
“As an artist, I don’t want to get caught up in the race for the most songs on an album, the most glamorous album and all that. I just want my music to get to the fans in its most raw form,” Big Ben said.
The album is a breath of fresh air, a healthy dose of great traditional meets modern, a unique feel and a sure contribution to the Namibian sound that can be sold and represent The Land of the Brave beyond borders and across oceans.
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