By Dennis Asiimwe
I have to admit, I leapt at the opportunity to review this song. Heck, it’s Iryn Namubiru, someone who once, the grapevine claimed, was an atheist. Not sure where that rumour emerged from, but it was countered pretty effectively when she sang Yani so passionately, with Julie Mutesasira.
So Glorify You is certainly not her first foray into gospel music. But it is a little different, going for that mid-tempo sort of worship song that works for Pentecostal churches, infused with an Afro-pop approach.
It is not an approach I am a big fan of – I am more inclined towards the more soulful efforts like what she did with Yani, but heck, those worship songs seem to get folks bopping in those church pews every Sunday, so they must be getting something right.
One of the things that probably pushed Iryn in this direction is the successful career she has had as a live music artiste.
She switched tacks about 10 to 12 years ago, putting together a band that found its base in Entebbe at a water front property, and her live music act dominated the live music scene there.
Being the biggest live music act on a regular basis in Entebbe certainly must have been lucrative, something that Iryn probably didn’t mind. She now only takes occasional forays back into the pop music scene.
Dropping a gospel track built around a live music set-up was certainly not a stretch – if anything, quite a number of Ugandan musicians like to do this sort of thing, have a toe in the gospel music sector while simultaneously pushing secular music. It doesn’t hurt.
And you can be certain about one thing – the song will be a hit with her fans. She has tonnes of them after dropping legacy hits like Nkuweki and Yani.
I just feel like she did not find it challenging, or inspirational herself. Look at her performance on Yani.
Lined up against the formidable vocal talents of Julie Mutesasira, Iryn brings her A-Game, showcasing why she used to be considered a peer of Juliana.
You feel a bit like she is simply going through the motions because her manager told her it might be a good idea and a good time to try another gospel track.
In the end, Glorify You is not as exceptional as Yani was, but it is, at the very least, adequate, musically speaking.
