MONROVIA — Have you ever thought of the majesty of caressing the strings of a guitar with your fingers like you would through a garden of the most beautiful flowers? And watched it come alive as it blooms with the awakening of chords, chronologically into sweet tunes that sound like stars singing out loud into the depth of a lonely night, with so much burst of light, which eventually swallows darkness into serenading joy?
By Edwin Elic-Jaleiba, Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor
Sir Reno would run after any opportunity to perform with his guitar, which he considers his best friend. Even if it’s to an empty room or stadium, this young passionate musician would sing his heart out loud as if he has a million fans listening and enjoying him perform. Is this a sign of desperation? The adrenaline of an underground artist rushes so fast to the brain that it’s almost like they don’t think twice because they are so crazy about reaching the top. They wouldn’t mind taking such an offer because it’s a golden opportunity to be heard, even if it is by nobody. As desperate as it might sound, I call it the power of manifestation, and what do I mean by this?
Nothing in life happens by magic! Everything in life needs to be envisioned and worked upon by faith! The law of cause and effect is inevitable. The predicament of performing songs that could be topping global music charts to a country that’s practically not listening is a perfect comparison to budding Liberian Afro Soul act Sir Reno performing at an empty stadium to only his ears. Is Sir Reno comfortable with this?
Being the first of your kind is something that sounds very unique. You stand out and expect to be loved by everyone for your authenticity. When you don’t walk along with the crowd, you tend to be absorbed in a lonely journey. A journey that crafts your artistry might seem tough because of the dark silence that escorts it, but that solitude becomes what eliminates your fear, makes you daring, thickens your truth, and makes your voice so loud until the world craves it for light, direction, and soothing comfort.
Sir Reno has mastered solitude; he is not afraid of the darkness that comes with being underground because of the light his music conveys. Even though he is practically a rookie, his style has created a niche where he could easily be recognized as the King of Afro Soul.
When his debut single “Jolie” dropped in May this year, lovers of good music, who would rather be fans of foreign Afro Soul musicians because it was almost impossible to believe we had musicians who had the authenticity to represent such a genre in Liberia, couldn’t believe their ears. “Jolie” sounded too good to be true. Then in July, he released “Wine Melanin,” a song that made everyone conclude that there could only be one king of Afro Soul, and that is Sir Reno.
“Wine Melanin” unveiled Sir Reno’s aura to us—no better word to define Sir Reno than an old soul, who takes shelter under the safety and uncertainty of being a hopeless romantic. The song itself started with a guitar that throws you back into memories of childhood Spanish movies, then quickly followed up with a beat that’s generally regarded as Afro dancehall these days, but has a twin-like resemblance with Jazz because of the heavy presence of an unapologetic saxophone that played melodiously, thereby making us reach the conclusion of saying that it’s Afro Fusion. The king of Afro Soul lyrically took us out of planet Earth with his pen game and how detailed his emotions were inked on our hearts with his beautiful voice that commands respect.
The visuals of “Wine Melanin” were shot by Jalve 04 Films and it’s nothing but a cinematic romance movie. It was filmed in the heart of the capital city, Broad Street, revealing the day-to-day life of pedestrians. The music video gave us the complete story of how he met “Jolie,” which led to him creatively using the same vixen twice. The script was more intense as it told the story of lost love, which climaxed at a very lonely and sad end for Sir Reno, who played himself. But a futuristic version, who broke the heart of his true love and ended up living lonely in his private beach house, even with all the fame and wealth acquired from music.
Sir Reno is a musical national treasure that should be cherished. So far, he has no bad songs!
Discussion about this post