The official release of my album Poetic Meditations was a great success,
thanks to everyone who attended – the media and stakeholders. The event was
held this past Wednesday (April 16th) at Little Theatre inside the
National Museum in Gaborone, Botswana. The main objective of the media
conference and listening session was to present to the media what Poetic
Meditations is all about. Many thanks to
my producer Phemelo Chantty Natural Moikabi and my music partner Odirile
Modesto Mokotedi. More thanks to Gabz FM, RB2, RB1, Weekend Post, Sunday
Standard, The Voice, Daily News, Radio Botswana, COSBOTS, US Embassy, Botswana
National Museum, Poetavango Spoken Word Poetry, Okavango Artists Association
and many more for the support.
Poetic Meditations is a uniquely
crafted album that fuses poetry, jazz and soul. The album offers the listener
an audio version of great literary creations from a prolific award-winning
writer – Legodile Seganabeng, known in poetry circles as Dredd X.
The actual production of the album (recording,
mixing and mastering) was a five-year process (2008-2013) of studio work with
joint efforts between passionate, versatile and highly skilful instrument
players and singers, and a patient, enduring producer. Although time has always been of the essence,
it also brought along, over the years, new innovations and creative alterations
– in due course turning the five-year studio time into a fun-filled yet
fulfilling experience. The album has been intended, from the very outset, to be
of super international quality in terms of musical composition, verse writings,
lyrical delivery, sound excellence and physical packaging.
The poems cover a wide range of themes; from
social, gender and political issues to love, relationships and abstract
ideologies. Except for the first intro
track, all poems are recited over backing music – a variation/fusion of jazz
and soul, with poignant interactive and backing vocals to induce the various
moods of the poems. While the music in the CD is very enjoyable and mood-enhancing,
the poems cover issues with which the audience can easily identify. These are
the everyday experiences of the common man and woman – the challenges they face
and the joys they experience.
Dredd X’s baritone (and sometimes tenor)
delivers the poems with exceptional clarity, where every word stands out with
adequate force. However, to make it pleasurable and cool to sing/recite along,
the listener is provided with an inlay booklet complete with printed poems and
lyrics. The 12 page booklet is intended to give the listener an additional
option of reading the poems, even when not listening to the CD.
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