New Music
New Music: Cottage 47- Vibes: The Long Game Vol. 1.
Overall Vibes: The Long Game Vol. 1, is a great piece of work. Cottage 47 has immense talent in their corner.
There’s few facts out there in the world that are unquestionable. First, the fire is hot (just like this album) and second Bulawayo is a hub of talent. And speaking of hubs, today I’ll be talking about the creative hub that is Cottage 47 and one of their most recent projects, Vibes: The Long Game Vol. 1.
V-TLG is a compilation album first of its kind under the label, featuring Cottage 47 artists. Featuring 10 tracks each of a different genre, mostly HipHop and R&B.
Just as the names suggests, this album is for the vibes, nothing more nothing less. They did exactly what they promised to do, bring the vibes. Seeing as the album is titled Vibes, please excuse my excessive use of the word.
From the jump, Ya Ya Ya Ya throws you straight into it. The track describes sauce, drip and swag with the squad. It’s a laid back, good time track. For when you’re with your squad having a good time. It’s an infectious vibe, with a great flow, beat and use of language. I like the play on the ya ya ya ya it subconsciously draws your attention.
The mood is toned down by the next track, Warrup Part 1. It’s a cool, laid back vibe. There’s a soothing effect from the backing vocals bringing out the R&B flavour of the song. However the little drum in the background adds a refreshing kick to the track. Personally this is one of my favourite tracks on this album because:
- Who doesn’t want to be called a peng ting?
- I’m a sucker for soft R&B sounds 3. It has a few quotables e.g ” I’m a vibe bringer,” “Brown skin loads of melanin she a Queen and she African,” “You see me I’m a King so I know you like the view.” I mean!
What Do You Do is a Hip Hop concoction. The flow is undeniable. The artists show off their skills and do the most on this track. They had a message and they delivered it. The beat is good although it overshadows the voices of the artists. But overall it’s a good track.
We No Like Dem is the result if Hip Hop and Dancehall in a ‘woke’ home. I don’t know what I enjoyed more, the hybrid nature of the sound or the socially conscious nature of the message. It’s a pleasant feeling seeing fellow young people creating meaningful pieces of work that you can also jam to.
Track number 5, Us We Dip! I’m sorry for my bias but this is the best song on the album. You know a song is good when it’s incorporated in your everyday vocabulary. Every 2 minutes I’m like, “us we move, us we dip ekse!” It’s such a relatable song, it describes everyday activities. From chilling with the crew, your girl, going to vibe tribe and trying to secure the bag. We keep it moving forward.
Nyami Nyami Honey moves a smooth wave. The instrumental is wavy. It’s a suave sound. Even the vocals are smooth. It has a slight sensual feel. The only down side is I don’t know what nyami nyami means, if you do please comment down below.
Swimming had me doing a slow body roll, which says a lot for someone with zero dancing skills. The vibe jumped straight into a full on sensual mood. The title is very appropriate. The track eases you gently into your emotions. Everything on this track matches. The little sound that plays when the chorus comes through, it hits the right spot. The Hip Hop and R&B energy was delivered beautifully. No doubt another fave.
Warrup Part 2 much like part 1 is easy. Easy on the ears. Ears to digest. And easy to vibe to. The energy is the same making it a good way to cleanse the palate for the next track.
Zambezi flow gives me urban grooves meets hip hop meets reggae meets the Zambezi river. Which is a bit unusual but in a good way. I haven’t heard anything like it before. One moment you have your swagger on and the next you’re whining involuntarily to the reggaton. Odd but it transitions smoothly you don’t even feel it.
Ekhaya closes off the album. It has a high energy, upbeat tempo. It’s a dance/ electronic sound, gives off Black Motion kind of vibes. Which was a unexpected, from one upbeat track to another. I would have loved to listen to another track like Ekhaya somewhere in the middle of the album. It’s a little pleasant suprise at the end of the album. It’s as if they’re bragging that they can do it all.
Overall Vibes: The Long Game Vol. 1, is a great piece of work. Cottage 47 has immense talent in their corner. V-TLG is just a glimpse of their true talent. Honestly can not wait for Vibes: The Long Game Vol. 2.
Support Cottage 47 by purchasing the album for just RTGS$100. You won’t regret it. Details are below.
https://twitter.com/Pro__lific/status/1347909238513926147
