New Music Review: Mwayenela by Paul Kachala

Reviewed by Mayamiko Seyani

Moments at the first sound of the electric rock guitar, one would wonder how a Malawian gospel artist would tackle this instrumentation. The title Mwayenera would get one to expect a hoarse voice screaming on top of a South African styled beat. At least that is a rough idea of praise and worship to most.

However, Paul Kachala, breaks the mould by bringing worship in a different genre. Kachala shows ingenuity in his composition as he build up from low to high notes showing off his range. After this song we know velvety Malawian voices with a dash of vibrato can worship God too.

But if the account of Johns vision in the Book of Revelations on how the four creatures move around God’s throne singing Holy Holy Holy is anything to go by, then we know a praise song doesn’t have to have many lyrics. Kachala’s song simply says Mwayenera Ulemu onse (You deserve all the glory).

All the nations see your glory/ let the people feel your power/ let the people bow before your name.

It is evident how Kachala takes control of the song by taking the listener on a rollercoaster as the tempo goes up and down. The drummer and the bassist did a good job by complementing the vocals.

The female voice backing vocals were also on point. Just the right amount before matching it too choral while maintaining the church touch.
Verdict: this is a powerful song. With a powerful video, it would represent Malawi well on the international platforms. However there is need for the artist to also perform some songs that have more of some Malawian touch. But all in all i think angels could vibe to this Mwayenera song, but the problem is they never stop singing holy holy.