Taji – Imani

Ihaji/R.Kay; 2013

Dir. Ken Heman

Gospel singer Taji has once again emerged from a hiatus after riding the wave of her hit single Heaga Hinya for the better part of two years and experimenting with some EDM stuff. A bit late for a Groove Award nomination but you know hat they say about God’s timing, no? She has enlisted the song writing skills of Dan ‘Chizi’ Aceda and R.Kay on the beats for this track called Imani. Basically, it is all about one’s peace of mind and contentment after placing one’s life and trust in God, no matter how difficult the circumstances. I’m no preacher man but my assumption is that the main premise of the song is the 23rd chapter of Psalms, and in particular the verse – “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” – Psalms 23:2 (ESV).  R. Kay rarely does wrong when it comes to this genre and this is definitely not an exception to the rule.

I’m not too sure about the  music video though. The parts that are actually shot on location look pretty stunning while the ones that are processed using the green screen some off as artificial from the get-go, which is not a good thing. There is also contention from some quarters that it was peppered with too much stock footage but the jury is not yet out on that one. However, the song’s potential is not hurt too much by this and it remains an enjoyable listen and watch.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Many  unfavorable comparisons will be made with her first single’s music video.  On the other hand, the fact that she sings in Swahili this time will broaden the scope of her fans, most of whom don’t really give a damn about the nitty gritties behind the music video.