Has Pallaso finally arrived? Maybe he has. Well, this is a confession: I never ranked Pallaso as a serious musician. I knew he was just one lad who found himself in a family of musicians. I knew he would vanish off the scene like mist off the pasture. I knew Ugandans won’t take him serious, or accommodate him. Furthermore, I knew that he would thrive on his brothers’ fame to make a name for himself. At first, he did that quite flawlessly. His next of kin were superstars and he thought it is hereditary or it runs in the blood. I wrote him off. I loathed him. But, boy, am I not sinking in my chair, tipping off my hat for the lad. Wasn’t I wrong to pour ink on paper and write off a guy who hardly tickled my fancy? I was wrong. I didn’t find traction, quite frankly. But now I do. Now, I can accommodate him because he proved me wrong. The lad is as talented as his chain of brothers.
Pallaso is good. He has arrived. He is up to the races. And he will be a big kahuna in Ugandan music. Here, he comes off with a tender, reggae-ish song that stems from a dancehall setting called Ntwala. It is effortless. The beat carries you along with it. And Pallaso doesn’t mince his words on this. The confidence comes out. It is evident on the track. The confidence he has gained over time; that if his brothers can do it, why not him? And he has defiantly stayed in his lane. Ntwala takes you along on a journey of bliss. A certain lad called Spilla, largely unknown as he is, falls in amidst the song, unannounced and, surprisingly, he makes the song sound even better. He makes his mark. Ah, this is a song you would nod your head to, dance to and sing along to. It comes off easy on the ear. Tender. Soft. Effortless. And if anyone says Ntwala is overrated, then he, surely, must have spent the whole day in a pot of gin.
Reviewed by Nimusiima
