Burrn

My original idea for today’s blog topic was taxi part underwear. It is one of my latest obsessions, but that posting will have to wait because on my way to the taxi park to do a little research, I got a little sidetracked. I saw a ripped advertisement for Blu 3’s new CD on a post by the road and was reminded that I needed to pick up a copy, so I jumped of the taxi I was on before reaching the park in order to pop into Music Land and grab a copy. I never made it to the taxi park after that because I was close to Ban Café; it’s aromatic tractor beam pulled me in. Have you ever tried their chocolate chip-cashew nut cookies? Well, you should. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Blu 3 is probably my favorite Ugandan group made up of three beautiful women: Lillian, Jackie and Cindy. Amazingly, they were put together in one of the Pop Stars contests about three years ago, and they’ve survived. I bought their first album, Hitaji, a couple of years ago, and it’s still on regular rotation on my iTunes. Every song on that album was a great pop confection, personal favorites include: Frisky, Hitaji, Tomalaako, Don’t Say, Fly Away and U Don’t Know. Basically, most of the album. I was hoping for nothing less from their sophomore album: Burrn.


The ads for Burrn describe it as “3 beautiful voices, 17 amazing songs, 1 sizzling album”. I agree. The dance songs (I <3 Katika) got me up and shaking it in my living room, and the ballads, including the mega hit in Uganda, Nsanyuka Nawe, are beautiful. The sound of this album is quite different from Hitaji, which a difficult accomplishment for any artist and highly unusual for Ugandan artists that often have a tendency to regurgitate past sounds for a guaranteed crowd pleaser (I’m not mentioning any names because maybe Chameleone might be suffering from chronic writer’s block.) Stemming from their first album and the track Hitaji, the girls have become masters of fusing English and Swahili. The Blu 3 girls took a more active role in writing songs for this album. A stand out on this album is Cindy’s creation, It’s My Life. It is in a similar vein as songs from Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics, very old-old school, which is quiet a unique sound for a popular Ugandan artist. I love the piano. Actually, the track is very reminiscent of the remix to Baby One More Time that Britney performed at the 1999 European Video Music Awards. Plus, she sings about air time! Lovin’ it! My only complaint with the album is a general complaint that I have with most Luganda songs: the artificial, high-pitched, generic synthesized instruments. But hey, it’s what a large audience wants and enjoys. It sells. Maybe it’s just me. Steve Jean is one of Uganda’s best producers, and he’s crafted another fantastic album.

Ok, so I’ve gone on and on about artists and an album that many people reading this blog will probably never have the pleasure of listening to. Too bad for you. Just one more thought. The cover art reminds me of that of an album by a fantastic, defunct female trio in the States: Fire by Wild Orchid. Too bad, the album was never released, and Stacie Ferguson left the group, got addicted to Crystal Meth and later became Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.




Taxi park underpants


Coming Soon!

Fireworks

I’ve been told that the fireworks at the ARA (American Recreation Association?) at the Fourth of July are the best to be seen in Kampala. Well, I’ve been there and left very unimpressed. Now the fireworks at Blu*3’s album launch last Saturday in Lugogo were spectacular. Someone invested a lot of money into that dazzling display. My friend, Tara, and I were mesmerized by the lights and sparks. Blue fireworks are my favorite, and there were plenty of those.

On the subject of investing a lot of money, Blu*3’s stage: Wow! When they first came out, sure, they came up through a trapdoor in the floor, but they were performing in front of a black backdrop and on plastic blue chairs. I was almost disappointed, but then they came back from their first costume change with a vengeance. It was very Charlie’s Angels-esque, their reemergence to perform the title track to their new album, Burrn, three sexy silhouettes on top of a set of stairs accentuated by a backdrop of flames.

It has been reported that the quality of sound was poor during their show. Well, there were some problems. One of their mics appeared to no be working properly. However, I think it is a testament to the girls’ skills as performers that they just went on with the performance as if nothing was out of the ordinary. First, Lillian walked off stage to get a replacement mic. When that didn’t resolve the matter, they would pass on one of the good mics to whomever was singing lead at that time. Of course, they could’ve been catty and been like, “Your mic isn’t working? Sorry for you, bitch.”

Blu*3’s show surpassed all my expectations. I’ve seen them perform before and loved them. They have good stage presence, and their choreography is always amazing. You can tell that they put much effort and practice into their performances. I am so glad that they performed with a live band last Saturday. When I go to a live show, I expect to hear something different that what is on an album. An artist doesn’t want to alter songs so radically that they will not be recognizable to their fans; however, a live performance should have elements of spontaneity and improvisation. Performing with a live band allows for this. Plus, a live band just sounds better than a backing track. The girls’ costumes were fantastic. I spent the first part of the show admiring Cindy Sanyu’s tiny waist and nice hips…lovely. My friend, Tara, commented more than once that the girls’ had a great wardrobe. Now, I read it reported that their costume changes took too long. I’m going to chalk such a comment up to the writer’s inexperience with large shows that include wardrobe changes. I’ve been to many shows in my days and seen several of the great pop acts: Britney, Janet, ‘NSync. Costume changes take time. There was always something going on during Blu*3’s costume changes to keep the audience excited. Come on, Montel performed during one of them.

The girls looked and sounded great. Guess what, they can sing live. Despite the mic problems they were having, they put on a great show. I loved the alterations they made to the Strong Woman song to introduce themselves better. I was really impressed with Cindy’s performance. I think she actually sounds better singing live than recorded. Lillian has been blessed with an amazing, strong voice. Her singing appeared effortless and she belted out her notes with ease. Jackie has one of those all-around great voices which allows her to be versatile and sound amazing now matter what she is singing.

I agree with some who say they performed Burrn too early in the show. They should’ve saved it until the end since it is their title track and one of their hottest hits at the moment. I think that it was great that they didn’t have too many opening acts. I was quite surprised when it was announced that they were taking the stage…and then they did. They got it right. The purpose of opening acts is to get the audience warmed up and excited for the headlining artists, not wear them out and make them tired. I also went to an album launch at Theater La Bonita last Friday night. What a train wreck! I was ready to leave before the main act came on. Opening act overkill! Too many opening acts frustrate an audience, especially if the opening acts are truly awful and they make it seem like you are attending a high school talent show.

I love to watch live performances, especially when they are as full of energy and well-orchestrated as last Saturday’s Blu*3 concert. I’ve walked out of other shows in the past out of frustration. I believe that Blu*3 has set a new standard that will challenge other top names in Ugandan music. But that is how things improve. Someone pushes the bar a little higher.

If you are not in Uganda and are thinking, "Man, I really wish I could listen to Blu*3's music." Never fear. They have a website where you can purchase their music for download. I've not tried it out, but I'd be curious to know it it works. If it does, then that's great for them. The website also claims that they have concert dates scheduled in North America and Europe, so check 'em out if you can.




On a different music-related topic, two songs just passed the 100 play count on my iTunes:

• Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks 102

• (You Drive Me) Crazy (Jazzy Jim's Hip-Hop Mix) by Britney Spears 101

These are the first two songs to pass the 100 play-count mark. I guess that makes them my two favorite songs.