Unveiling Michael Bundi’s incredible talent that proves his supremacy as the de facto King of Covers
Dear Diary,
Today feels like 10, 464, 598th day of the curfew and subsequent semi-lockdown, thanks to the ravaging Covid-19 virus. I have learnt a few lessons, but the major one?
Well, life is fleeting. Grab every chance that comes along. Do new things. Watch new movies. Listen to new music.
Find a soul mate. Or, make one. Make a hell of a wedding, budgets be damned. A wedding full of dance and colorful dress – chuck the traditional black on white. Make it a party, with an awesome musician.
It’s a world full of erratic, half-baked musicians with jumpy lyrics, Dear Diary. We need better.
We don’t have a budget to hire a celebrity musician – most of which thrill with a mere half of their releases – and suck with the rest. Ok, a band? Hell, no. A band in a wedding has become cliché.
Then, a single genre would bore. Not everyone digs slow gospel. A significant section of the crowd are reggae freaks, but what do we do with the vibrant Bongo fans? The dancers will be found here, remember.
Ok, let’s get a versatile performer, with an adaptability to perform across genres – and with a commanding stage presence.
Meet Michael Bundi.
In the world of covers, Michael Bundi is one of Kenya’s best kept secrets. It’s a hard task describing the immense enigma.
This guy can sing, rap, croon, chant and wail across the most difficult productions in the world of music – and in some cases – do a solo medley while at it! If that’s not incredible, I don’t know what is.
Michael Bundi cannot be tamed into a regular voice category. You want to hear your favorite cover in baritone? Mezo-soprano? Tenor? Countertenor? Contralto? He’s game. (Oh, you didn’t even know there’s a Contralto? Ha!)
A casual perusal into his YouTube channel will enslave you. There’s no exiting. There’s a butt-load of talent buried in cyberspace waiting to be discovered. It’s not hyperbole.
A random pick of my three favorite covers? His ‘For the Love of Reggae’ series is superb.
Baby Love (Otile Brown).
Njiwa Njiwa (Willy Paul & Nandy).
Moyo Mashine (Ben Pol).
His musical buffet ain’t singly filled with covers. He’s excellent own productions.
The greatest thing with Michael is his flawless, almost tangible vocals. Videos are simply self-shot, with a smart phone. The only other star in the videos is a little, adorable 2yr-old kiddo, so sweet it makes me choke with emotion!
This is one of the artist’s best covers, Baby Love originally done by Otile Brown, over Heart & Soul Riddim instrumental:
