By Andy Adibemma
From the sonorous voice of Ugo Stevenson popularly known as Ndaa Chineke comes a freshly roasted song KEE KWANU which we celebrate.
Ndaa Chineke is from Olokwu Emeabiam in Owerri West L.G.A Imo State. A Thearter Arts Practitioner trained at the University of Port-Harcourt.
He comes behind an illustrious heritage of highlife musicians, Jonez, Isreal Nwoba, Dan Satch Opara, Osita Osadebe and others, he is an award winning highlife musician with the album Ndaa Chineke.
His music comes rich in idioms, proverbs, everyday life experience and steeped in culture and mores.
The highlife genre is a vehicle for the expression of good cultural heritage of the people. A teaching platform, that is why Kee Kwanu is a statement profound and not a phrase as the avant garde musical expressions do.
Kee kwanu, recently released into the market is an expression of compassion and artistic creation meant to relieve burden, pains and loneliness.
To a heart that is lonely Kee kwanu is a relief from pains of loneliness. To the sick Kee kwanu is curative a support an assurance of hope that the present is not an end.
To those who are confused and agitated Kee kwanu is a direction a guiding star leading to joy and happiness.
And to a searching mind, that wants to be freed from ignorance Kee kwanu is a learning classroom in voice.
Todays music environment is laden with noise and flesh. Morality is done away with leaving the listener with high decibel of noise without meaning. That is why flesh is celebrated and instead of enlightening the mind. Todays music gyrates emotion and nothing more.
This is where the highlife music especially Kee kwanu is different.
It takes its essence from Igbo culture. Where caring for a brother, sister or neighbor is a religion.
Kee kwanu is the heartfelt smile of good morning, the caring heart of a visitor on the side of the sick bed, the strong hand of the young helping the elderly. It is the Igbo man in his real personality.
This album calls on us all to return to our collective humanity, to care for each other and urges us all to do away with individualistic life style which erodes our essence and make us plastics and fake.
