The Vine strikes right chord
THE Vine musical group has literally set the gospel music scene ablaze since launching their second album titled “The Great Physician”.
The project features South African musicians Mabongi Mabaso, Mahalia Buchanan and Grammy-award winning Soweto Gospel Choir.
The live recording of the project, which ran under the theme “Feel Africa” was done at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) in May this year and the event was talk of the town after setting the bar high in showbiz. The stage set up was world class while the act was vivacious.
Four videos from the 12-track album have since hit the market and are receiving rave reviews on social media. More videos are expected in the coming weeks.
The enchanting track “Inyang’ Enkulu” which features Soweto Gospel Choir appears to have won the hearts of many. The soothing song/video is now close to a million views on YouTube.
“I have lost count of how many times I played this song (Inyang’ Enkulu). There is so much healing in this masterpiece,”commented one of The Vine fans on social media.
Another music enthusiast identified as Mthandazo Ndlovu added: “This is proper. The commitment, the arrangement, the sound, the vocals . . . everything just says beautiful. Thank you for preaching to us through song.”
The visuals for the song“Imbirai Jehovah”, featuring South African gospel songstress Mabongi Mabaso have also attracted favourable attention. The choreography is simple but on point. One cannot have enough of the videos that are all arguably world-class.
The good work, perhaps, explains why the group’s profile is fast rising.
Choir director Everton Mlalazi said he was pleased as well as encouraged with the favourable response the project is getting.
“So far we have released four videos, two recorded in Cape Town and two done at
HICC). Indeed,‘Inyang’Enkulu’has really been trending. The track has been well received in the country and across the region. We also have‘Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Saviour’which is doing quite well on the market,”said Mlalazi.
He noted The Vine’s latest effort was a massive improvement from their previous effort.
“This production, ‘The Great Physician’ recording, is a huge upgrade from the 2018 ‘Musandipfuure’project. The musicality and the visuals are a level up,”he added.
Mlalazi said they are“intentionally”dropping a new video from the album each week.
“The strategy of releasing the videos weekly has kept our fans engaged with the album and I think this will be so until the end of October when the last video drops,” he revealed.
He further highlighted that the group was not going to rest on its laurels.
Groundwork for the third album, he revealed, had already begun.
“Apart from recording a new album, we are also going to embark on tours starting with Johannesburg at the end of September. Plans are at a very advanced stage and we will be making announcements very soon,” said Mlalazi.
The choir worked with seasoned producer Nigel Nyangombe on“The Great Physician” while Mlalazi was the executive producer.
Other tracks on the project include“God Can”,“Ndimi Simba”,“Psalms 94”,“Prayer”, the title track“The Great Physician”among others.