It was once claimed that Saha was ‘the next Chameleone”.
It was also claimed that he did not like the comparison.
Listening to Zakayo, I can tell why these two claims exist.
He approaches his music in a similar style to Jose’s, going with easily memorable tunes and a remarkably similar groove, which seems to suggest they are influence by the same musical school of thought, technically speaking.
The reason that Saha doesn’t like this claim is a simple one: he is simply a better singer. His vocals are significantly superior to Jose’s. Jose Chameleone is the more charismatic of the two artistes, and this has helped his career significantly, but it is impossible to argue that he is the better singer. Saha’s voice is the sort of thing you single notice.
On Zakayo, he utilizes his vocals in a manner that, oddly enough, brings to mind the late Moze Radio’s capacity for plaintive singing – you feel like he is singing with his soul. It is an oddly endearing trait, the sort of vocal you would like to hear more from.
As I mentioned earlier, Zakayo carries that heady groove that is immediately infectious, one that Jose made famous, and Saha executes it pretty effectively. Placing his smoother vocals against that groove makes for a pretty groovy bit of music, and explains why he has had such a steady rise to fame. His music also tends to have a lot more to it in terms of the song writing – his songs come off as more of a message, and less of an anthem.
Where Saha falls short is his brand, which, you will always feel, needs to add something electric to it, something that gives it teeth.
But he is arguably the superior musician, musically speaking.
