For any artiste, finding your sound is a right of passage. Be it you creating a new sound or finding a space for yourself in an already existing one, it’s an important moment. It’s right up there with the releasing your debut project. So when you find your sound and artistic self on your debut project? Well it’s bound to be something special, and that is exactly the case for Arthead Inc. act, Steven Caise on “Against All Odds”.
The sound in question is the Afro-fusion sound championed by Burna Boy in the last decade. It’s a popular sound quite alright, but not everyone has the skillset to shine on it or bring enough of their own individuality to create something unique from the ubiquitous. My guess is Steven Caise’s plan of action was this; draw the audience in using the comfort of a familiar sound and keep them hooked using his Reggae-influenced flows and enthralling melodies. If that guess is indeed right, then the summary of this piece is that Steven Caise executed the plan to as near to perfection as one can get.
Listening to this project is a pleasurable journey that reveals different facets on each listen. There is impeccable cohesion of sound such that the songs are similar enough to transition into the next seamlessly but different enough to captivate the listener afresh at the start of each song. The album is a refreshing switch up from the monothematic nature of most projects that flood the market now; Caise covers a healthy variety of topics across the 8 songs.
Making an emotional connection with songs is important in keeping listeners coming back and Steven Caise expresses a lot of vulnerabilities, insecurities and fears underneath the catchy instrumentals. On “Society” and “Felawitheswag”, his frustrations about the failing system that is Nigeria are laid bear for all to hear. He tries to mask his desire for something deeper than sex on “Trips”, “Chilling” and “Monalisa” but it’s there if you listen closely. He is smitten on “Small Luvin” and desperately apologetic on “Make Up”. On “2000&KILLAMITI”, he is confident and self assured. It’s applaudable that he doesn’t just depend on the instrumentals to carry the songs. Instead he really goes in on his lyrical content, bringing in colourful descriptions and intelligent metaphors consistently, the best of which is his performance on “Society”.
Save for a few forgivable flaws, the production on this project is fantastic. “Small Luvin” is a only let down on terms of mixing and mastering, and would have been better left off the final tracklist. Another negative is perhaps the absence of one major party banger. I’m not of the opinion that they are compulsory, but there’s no doubt that it helps to sway the general public. A few songs come close but don’t quite cross that party banger threshold.
But don’t let that deter you from giving this a spin; “Against All Odds” is a fantastic project filled with very good music and Steven Caise has done brilliantly for himself here. If he keeps improving and fine-tuning the rough edges of his craft, he might very well defeat the odds and find himself in superstardom soon enough.
Standout Track(s): “Society” , “Chilling”
Verdict: 8.8/10