Mzbel Turns into Barbie!

Is it just me or is Mzbel riding too much on her sex appeal to sell her music at the expense of improving her sound? I haven't heard much from her new album, 'Saucy Girl' (which obviously states her intent) but from the first two videos that I have seen, it seems the saucy singer is going to hit us with raunchiness after raunchiness while her music doesn't get any better.

While Mzbel may not be the best female vocalist or rapper in Ghana, she has been able to captivate us with witty lyrics, likeable hooks and dancing rhythms over the years. And with jaw dropping performances, sexy attires and a good mix of controversies, Mzbel has been able to sustain her act and had us all talking over the years. I however feel that her new songs may have lost some of the elements that have made us enjoyed her songs all this while; and I don't mean her sexiness because that is clearly in abundance as she goes topless on the album cover.

I am disappointed that an established artist like herself would use an overly sampled song like 'Ron Away' to start the promotion of her album. 'Ron Away' is a cross between O-Zone's 'Dragostea din tei' which was sampled by T.I and Rihanna on their smash hit 'Live Your Live' and pop group, Aqua's hit 'Barbie Girl'. Of course Mzbel adds her own elements to the song but it doesn't make her appear to be serious especially just a year after T.I and Rihanna's song. Fro me, the song was a brave attempt by Mzbel to go pop, but it ended up being complete popcorn; dollish and perhaps ahead of its time (considering Ghanaian taste in music).

This is something I expect from one of those new acts with ridiculous music videos showing on Crystal TV; and not from an established and maturing act such as Mzbel. Personally I think it would have been better off as a bonus track than a lead song. The video for the song even bears some resemblance with the video for 'Barbie Girl'; but of course Mzbel knows how to stir up her own controversies so she brought in some scenes that would work in her favour. If you haven't seen the video yet, watch out for the part when she says “…I go chop off your thing”. LOL!!!!

The video for 'Saucy Girl' doesn't deviate from the general theme of 'Sexy Mzbel' either, but at least the song sounds original. However, I am still checking…..