Gospel reggae, a smoking live band, a fantastic album recorded and mastered over one year. What does this equation add up to? Heart and Soul, Kenya’s premier live gospel reggae band, out to redefine the image of gospel music.
Formed in 2003, the group is comprised of Matthew Omondi (drummer), George Mutinda (bassist), and Isaac Mugunda (lead guitar). Others are Peter Mulei (keys), Shadrack Makau (keys), and Joseph Heho (lead vocals).
Following their formation, they would practice for hours on end, dwelling on one song until they grasped the progressions. They jammed at weddings and high school rallies, and played back-up for various artists, all with such a meticulous approach that they became an amazingly proficient band.
Yet even as adept at playing as they were, it took them a while to settle on a particular genre. They had toyed around with different styles, but realized that only when they zeroed in on one particular one would they carve themselves a niche. Reggae was the obvious choice, as their Eastlands upbringing had given them an excellent schooling in that area.
So off they went; diving head-first into a genre they were comfortable with, but uncertain as regards its viability.
In late 2003, Heart & Soul got a chance to perform at Pastor Robert Kayanja’s Miracle Center Cathedral in Uganda, and the response they got motivatated them to consider doing music full-time. During the group’s early stages, Joseph Heho was their driving force, having written well over eighty songs even before the thought of recording had even crossed their minds. It was early the next year that Peter Mulei joined the group, bringing their number to six.
In April of the same year, they decided to record their debut single Chilling With The King at Wilnag Studios, but due to an editing snarl up, it could not be released. Faced by the need to re-record, they were a little short on choices. It was then that a stroke of genius by Isaac made the group consider Future Kids Studios in Hurlingham; an outfit fronted by producer Kasongo wa Kanema. Isaac hurriedly called up the studio, and amazingly the very next day they had their very first recording session.
The single was recorded that very night. And if you thought that was quick, consider this – the very next day they partially recorded nine more tracks.
It wasn’t long before Heart & Soul were considering music videos. At the outset, the various members were scattered across various church assemblies, but went on to make World Harvest Church their home. Small wonder they chose it to be the prime location, together with the Carnivore grounds, for their first video shoot.
And just to prove the mantra that “nothing good comes easy”, they encountered significant challenges. The clip was deemed to be of poor quality by various television producers, and received very little airplay. KTN’s Plus show was the only one to consider the clip.
Refusing to let this break their spirit, they decided to shoot the video all over. Suffice to say, the video is set to be released soon, and has taken a full two years to complete.
During this period they chose to continue rehearsing and performing, and in April 2005 they got a chance to hold their first
ever concert. Dubbed Ragga-Mania, only a handful turned up, with a large portion of the crowd being fellow artists. Interestingly, they chose not to draw their energy from the crowd but instead infuse the venue with their own charisma. It worked like a charm, as they rate this as arguably their strongest and most memorable performance to date.
Since then they have worked terribly hard on their music, even getting the opportunity to curtain raise for Chevelle Franklin during the Xtreme Weekend. US-based Milele asked them to be a part of their charity concert in early 2006. They were a big hit at both events, with such a warm reception that it surprised even them.
Heart and Soul has also had the opportunity of sharing a stage with the likes of Eric Wainaina, Abbi and Kikwetu, Juma Tutu and more recently for ragga icon Papa San as part of the Soul Nairobi project.
Heart & Soul now have an amazingly delightful ten-track album titled Chilling with the King, with stand-out cuts including the title track Greatest Wonder, Crazy World, World-wide and the hard-hitting Politicians. They look forward to releasing this album in late 2006.
Their future plans include launching their album in late 2006, as well as recording and releasing three more videos. They also plan to tour Kenya and later the greater East Africa.
Be on the lookout, this stunning album will not only enthrall reggae fans, it will definitely play a part in getting new reggae converts.
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