JeffreyBenson is an interesting character, to say the least. Born Jeffrey Okonkwo, the young Nigerian artiste has embraced Afro-fusion music from his base in Canada and is quickly making a name for himself in his home country and beyond. The Benson in his name is his father’s first name, but his reason for adopting it is less sentimental than you think; he uses it to spite the man who so vehemently opposed his choice to abandon a Masters’ Degree for the pursuit of a career in music.
Even more interesting is the music JeffreyBenson cooks up. He is less of a renegade in this regard as he readily conforms to the boundaries of Afrofusion to create his songs. 3 singles and 1 project have dropped between his debut in 2019 and 2020, all of which has been enough for anyone to the artiste in question is not lacking in talent, skill or sophistication. So on the back of the positive reception that “Jara” – his first single of 2021 – was met with, he released his sophomore project titled “Some Love & More”.
Some Love & More is a ten-track body of work beautifully coloured by sounds of Afrobeats, Pop, Jazz, and R&B. It’s always easy to identify an artiste who knows his sound and comfortably explores the space, and that’s the exact vibe JeffreyBenson gives off as he navigates his way through the different instrumentals provided for him to work with. Effortless melodies and energetic flows are abound, and a proficient use of background vocals and adlibs add details that embellish the overall package.
The project title certainly gives the main thematic component away but there are enough songs that stray from that theme that the lyrics don’t end up so monotonous. Take “Sunrise” for example, a song that speaks of his self-confidence, a quality he definitely needs considering the risk he’s taking leaving the corporate world for a career as uncertain as music. “E Sure Me” is a proclamation of belief in the process while “Original” is him reminding us all that there’s no other artiste like him. The rest of the songs speak to exactly what “Some Love & More” suggests, though you’re not fooling anyone Jeffrey, we know you’re more interested in the “& More” – as evidenced by songs like “Coco Taste”, “Body Talk”, “Jara”, “Some Love & More” – than you are in “Some Love” – “Pay In Full”, “My Feelings/Looking for Me” and “Mind”.
A colleague recently said and I quote “JeffreyBenson is the closest thing we have to Burna Boy” and went on to draw comparisons between their sounds, pen games and voices. Now maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but there’s certainly evidence to substantiate the claims to some extent, and as much as he will prefer to be his own man, comparisons like are a pretty big compliment to any artiste on the come up. If he is down to keep sharpening his craft, it won’t take him very long to fully come into the consciousness of the consumers of mainstream music. And maybe then, his dad wouldn’t mind his decision to become an artiste so much.
Verdict: 7.5/10
