For Annex Vodka, he has finally decided to release his debut project since his first single in 2015, and he’s determined to make it the best, and it shows in the end result. It’s all a fine mix of English and his native language, Yoruba. He explores several genres, but mostly Afrobeats, street hop, and familiar genres the Nigerian audience is used to. The project entails 8 songs, and he highlights several concepts.
He opens the project with Jehovah, and well, it’s expected. For artistes like Annex, their spirituality is not out of reach and as he was probably taught, he starts every significant thing he does with a prayer. As we listen, we hear the voice of a mother. He seemed to have inserted a voice note or message from her. And from what she’s saying, we gather that as a child, Annex was talented and used to sing even then and the world was intrigued with his talent, and his mother takes pride in that fact. He chalks his success up to God and his mother, and it’s heartwarming to see. The song ends with a prayer, and it’s utterly beautiful.
He starts the project proper with Annabella. In the song, you hear him complimenting his romantic partner and telling her that they shouldn’t spend quality time arguing on inconsequential things or fighting. They can resolve their fights while being level-headed. The secret to building a relationship with a solid foundation and having it last is the couple’s ability to resolve arguments without being dramatic, and he tells her this.
He follows with Pending. As one is aware, there’s a large uncertainty of success in life. We don’t know who’ll succeed, regardless of how hard they work. It could happen for someone absolutely unexpected and someone you’d expect to succeed as well. There are many factors, but Annex prays that life doesn’t put our case on “pending”, as is popular in several governmental institutions. It’s a solid prayer, and we pray that life doesn’t.
In Makanju, he enlists popular street hop artiste, Seyi Vibez, to assist him in delivering the banger. They sing 95% of the song in Yoruba. There are a lot of adages and idioms utilised here. Makanju means “don’t hurry” in English, and he advises that we shouldn’t hurry in our pursuit of success, but also, we shouldn’t just wait for it to happen to us. We should be reasonable, as too much hurry means you won’t live long enough to enjoy it, and waiting too much just jinxes the general percentage of you attaining said success.
In Cruise Control, it’s just vibes for Annex. The woman he’s chasing insists that for his proposal, he has to have money, and silly concepts like love, care and attention, isn’t priority for her. We come across songs like this in everybody’s projects, so it isn’t exactly overwhelming. It’s different in Blessed. He resorts to spirituality once again, and insists he’s blessed, so “no weapon fashioned against him shall prosper.” He employs a different genre here, similar to afro reggae. He tells the usual story of the people not believing in him, but now that he’s ‘blown’, they want to come back.
O Lo Far is a new lingua which loosely translates to “it’s out of reach/you won’t get it”. It’s intended for unbelievers in his craft and people who pray for his downfall. Contextually, it means it won’t happen because he has God’s grace behind him.
The album comes to a close with Wole. And as expected, he ends the project with thanks to God again. This man is following every lesson his mother taught him to the letter. It’s only routine to say a vote of thanks after starting a speech, to end all with another prayer, and he does this. He also asks his romantic partner to come home with him. “Wole s’inu Maserati mi, Bugatti mi,” he tells her. It all crescendos in a act of drums and it’s pleasing to hear.
All in all, Annex Vodka’s On The Way is a good project and we can’t wait to see what more he’s bringing to the table.
