Let me unwrap this with a confession. I am a great fanatic of South African music. I loved/still love Miriam Makeba. I am drawn to Hugh Masekela’s delightful jazz. Or virtuoso bassist Johnny Dyani. Yvonne Chaka Chaka is an icon, a musical goddess of sort. Hell, I loved Madiba. Rest In Peace, Madiba. And hearing anything with a whiff of South African music throws me in a pot of bliss. That’s exactly what happened to me when I heard Breaking Free. Admittedly, I thought it was one of those Mafikizolo songs. Or Freshly Ground. I mean, I couldn’t think it was a Ugandan crooning on that beat. Then I later learnt that it is Ekky. I nodded grudgingly. Okay, I was delighted that, yes, Uganda is on the right path to good music city. A step in the right direction.
Breaking Free is a masterpiece. The talented chanteuse outworked herself on this track. And the producer takes credit as well. It is flawless from the beginning to the end. Ekky sounds terrifyingly good that you might think it is a dream you’re waiting to wake up. Only you never wake up. In fact, you’re up. Breaking Free breaks free from the chains of bubblegum music that choke our country. The beat, much as it sounds Zulu-ish, is an alright beat. High tempo. Something that slices your limbs in hysterical delight and makes you dance like a young girl on prom night. Before the song is driven to the end, Ekky registers herself as the next big star. Even though she sings in crisp English on this one, she comes off nicely, which is definitely a good sign because, well, English songs, here, are labeled headphone music; they are fed to the dogs even. But, trust me, Breaking Free is more than headphone music. It is a club banger at that. Listen to that beat, choking and spilling off the stereo. Put things to a halt and close your eyes, listen. Do you hear that? You’re breaking free from the imprisonment that is the morsels of our music to a four-course of good baked music. Breaking Free is a good song. And Ekky, by virtue of her craft witnessed in the song, has a bright future ahead of her. Break a leg!
Reviewed by Nimusiima
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