Review: MzVee and Cina Soul sing about chaos and focus

28 Sep 2023 - 13:01

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

When they first emerged, singers MzVee and Cina Soul (the former hitting the mainstream years before the latter) were a refreshing discovery and still remain active participants in Ghana’s pop scene.

MzVee and Cina Soul.

The key attributes that distinguish them, apart from their emphatic and captivating vocals, are songwriting that feels universal, and an early emancipation from the female confines of Accra’s pop.

When a woman sings about love, she is speaking her native language. When she goes beyond love, with raw honesty and integrity, she is freeing herself from the paradigms that constrict her. Beyond their romantic poetry, the music of MzVee and Cina Soul is moving, in the way it challenges societal norms, routinely condemning domestic violence and championing self-confidence.

With their latest releases, both singers enrich culture boldly and welcome a new artistic challenge; while the two projects transmute psychological comfort by interrogating chaos and focus, they also probe musical boundaries.

‘Destiny’, MzVee’s offering, is proof of life and prayer, replete with axiom and affirmation. Running on full dancehall steam, a route not uncharacteristic of the singer, the record also swims in delightful trumpets and strings. Thematically, it stresses self-belief and optimism. “I will rule my destiny,” she proclaims in the hook. One must also stay true to herself no matter what, she argues, while celebrating her standout quality powered by tough roots, singing, “I’m unique, I’m not common / Let me tell you where I come from / In the ghetto, not London.” Elsewhere MzVee recalls encouraging words from somebody important: “Mama told me you’re a champion / You gon make it on the long run.”

On ‘Plenty Evil’, Cina Soul addresses resilience and overcoming adversity and malevolent elements. This fusion of stylings also includes dancehall, the tongue of courage. No one shall dim her light, she insists, with lines like, “I for do what I can till I’m gone”, “You touch me, you touch fire” and “Let no man ever touch my crown.” Cina Soul’s releases have routinely arrived as important touchstones because of their rare ability to tackle significant themes. ‘Plenty Evil’ succeeds as another important anthem. Like MzVee, she has matured with a stomach to take on important subjects from a unique angle.

‘Destiny’ and ‘Plenty Evil’ stimulate a striking confidence boost, from credible voices with solid records. At the centre of these submissions is evidence of just how well their authors are evolving. This transition is an inevitable consequence of artistic growth.