ALBUM DESCRIPTION

After a two-year layoff, Holy Battalion is back on the scene with a powerful new album that is bound to keep your head bobbin' for a long time to come.

Upendo wa ajabu (wonderful love) the album broadcasts lyrical and musical maturity and biblical songs that reach out and touch the listener. Holy Battalion fivesome (Dennis a.k.a. Nabii, Bernardoz a.k.a. Bab’yao, Kennedy a.k.a. Onesh, Zippy and Salim) each display an ingenious ability to deliver the indispensable message of Christ in the form of revolving rap styles, riveting 'snap-your-neck' beats, and explosive themes that relate around the love of God and the call to holiness, praise and worship.

Upendo marks the first album in the group's six year existence; this one proves to be well worth the wait. This album done by Gdykym music features 14 tracks of innovative, thought-provoking music .Upendo the album is solid, the music is interesting, the singing is excellent, and the lyrics are fun. The catchy melodies, tight arrangements, and the alternating lead singers and different rap styles will keep you on your feet asking for more.

The album opens with the mellow track “Wonderful” (1 John 4:9-10) which is reminiscent of the 90’s G-funk sound. The song can be described as a remake of their chart topping single Upendo wa Ajabu but with the chorus done in English this time around. Haimie makes a guest appearance on this track and does a splendid job alongside the new lady of the group Zippy. The lads too handle their verses beautifully. As the album is themed on the Fathers attributes there was no better way to start the album than a song that touches on the fathers love.

“Yangu barua” (Isaiah 41:13/Luke 15:11-24) maintains the same laid back feeling but with an African fused jazzy feeling. It is an interesting song done as a letter to the Father by a prodigal who finds has found his way back home and is reminiscing how bad it was separated from the fathers love. The chorus asks “why should I leave like an orphan when the Father has me in His embrace” Zippy teams up with Marira a long time associate and friend of Holy Battalion and the combination is heavenly. The guitar licks are awesome, lovers of acoustic music will have this one on repeat. Notably, the third verse by Onesh stands out with a good mastery of Swahili language.

“Hapa Hatutoki” (Exodus 33:15) it is back to the basics on this one with a dancehall infused track which is “killed” from the word go. Marira makes another guest appearance and does what she knows best. This apparently was their second single after Upendo wa Ajabu but it still sounds fresh. The song can be best summarized as “we only move when the Father moves” Salim & Apostle come through in English in their verses and sound good.

“Kuhani Mkuu” (Hebrews 4:14-16) they flip the script completely on this one, Nabii does the chorus and Zippy gets to do a whole verse by herself, and she is on point. The track has a distinct coastal feel to it. Makes you wish to hear Zippy hold the fort on her own. You got to hear the rock guitar just before the beginning of the third verse and the beat altering slightly thereafter. The song explores the attributes of the Father as a high priest who feels our pain and is an ever present help.

“Mapenzi” (Song of Solomon 3:5/2 Timothy 2:22/Gen. 39) – Proving that they can’t be put into a box, Holy Battalion hits us with some serious Lingala tune (a musical genre from the central part of Africa) Again we get to hear more of Zippy and she does not disappoint. The guitar sounds are off the hook on this one. This song definitely warrants repeated spins on your CD player. It is back to the theme of love on this one and the emphasis is to flee youthful lusts and casual sexual relationships.

The album’s title and a big time favorite, “Upendo wa Ajabu” (1 John 4:9-10) is a mix of fine vocals with flowing verses and a catchy chorus. It is a song that reminisces on the love of God the Father having sent down his son Jesus Christ to redeem mankind from sin. Notably, this is the first song that was done by Holy Battalion in June 2004 but still sounds so fresh. Marira makes another appearance on this track and it makes you wonder why she is not a full member of the group as she fits very well with the rest of the group. A good thing also for non-Swahili speakers is that the song contains elements of English on verse two. My advice put on your dancing shoes and hit the dance floor.

“Mwili mmoja” (Romans 12:4-8) –This song surprisingly will catch you off balance if you're not careful. It may start out a little slow, but it really builds to a climatic finish. Alykym makes a guest appearance on this track and does a wonderful job with some really smooth vocals, soothing will be the best word to describe her singing. It is a song whose main theme is the responsibility of each and every one of us in the body of Christ and the fact that we are different members but one body irrespective of race or geographic location.

“I Worship you” (psalms 95:6/psalms 100)the song starts with a beautiful Spanish guitar sound before exploding into a full blossom dancehall track. The Battalion’s ability to bring a street conscious swag while keeping the gospel at the forefront of their rhymes is vivid in this song which apparently is a fusion of three languages i.e. English, Swahili and Luo (one of Kenya’s local dialect,-there are about 42 different dialects in Kenya- ). The song is all about worshiping the Father till the end of time and even thereafter.

“Nyumbani mwa Baba” (psalms 84/psalms 122)– A beautiful song with artistic instrumental performance, Marira again contributes not only on the chorus but does an entire verse and holds most of the song. The rap sections are handled by Onesh & Nabii and the combination is good it is like listening to an entirely different group. The song is about going to the Fathers House i.e. the church where there is wholesome fellowship and the happiness derived from being in the father presence.

"Ubarikiwe" (psalms 34)Another gem that sees Marira holding most of the song and Onesh and Nabii teaming up again on the rap sections, sounds more like Marira featuring holy battalion than the other way round. The soulful voice of Marira just reaches out to you and you might find yourself singing along to the "sha-la-la" chorus, the worship and exaltation of the Almighty God, and the awesome combination of the rap style verses and backing vocals are a sweet joy to listen to.

“Wee Sifu” (2 chronicles 20) - The extremely infectious hook along with the bouncy funky sound sets the tone for a very funky ride in this song. It’s an all boys track with Bernardoz a.k.a. Bab’yao singing the chorus that would have obviously been sang by Zippy the first lady of the group. The song is all about the power of praise. This song gives Holy Battalion a distinctive edge in the holy hip hop arena. The vibe is smooth and reflects Battalion’s maturity.

“Fagia Yote” (Psalms 121:1-6) alternates between laid back, ponderous hip hop and lofty and towering re-mixed anthem that is far much distinct from the original version. The distinct mellow voice of Eric (a Congolese) who makes a guest appearance and spices the track with some Lingala tunes that leaves one craving for more. The song is a call to clean up your life and ask the Lord to get rid of all that is not clean.

“Wako Msaada” (psalms 88:9/psalms 121) – Timothy a.k.a. Timo makes a welcome guest appearance adding his awesome vocal stylistics to this song. With hot lyrical flow from Dennis a.k.a. Nabii, this track is yet another hit to add to Holy Battalion’s growing list. This song finds Nabii asking the Lord to hold his hand and not turn His back on him despite his shortcomings.

“Tuaranirie” –This is a heartfelt and deeply moving beautiful song. Zippy reached really deep both musically and lyrically for this one and her delivery shows it. It has been done in a Kenyan local dialect, Kikuyu. Apparently it is a short song that also acts as the outro.

Overall, Holy Battalion crew has overhauled their sound with each and every record. It’s hard not to be impressed by a group that wants to continually challenge themselves musically. Holy Battalion breathes with the aplomb of a group that has found a way to evolve into something slick and commercially viable. They have once again raised the bar – both for themselves, and for the fellow artistes in the industry.

Those who listen to urban music will find this album fascinating and enjoyable to listen to considering the fine African sound infused through out the album.

This project will definitely satisfy existing fans while creating a platform for a new audience. I think that this is just the start of something great for this group.