Out of the depths of Port Harcourt’s seemingly endless talent factory is H.O.M.A, a vibrant young artiste with an interesting sound and style. He enjoyed a successful 2021, with his best moment coming in June when he put out “Move Your Body” featuring Ogranya. The track scored over 100,000 streams on all platforms and earned him spots on notable editorials. H.O.M.A’s career started in 2018 and has seen him grow over the course of several singles, and one full-length project. On the 22nd of July 2022, he put all that progress on the line by releasing his sophomore project. It’s titled “Compilation 2” and serves as a direct follow up to its 2019 predecessor. The project consists of 7 tracks – although 3 of the lot were released as lead singles – that consist of an intricate blend of multiple genres.
“Compilation 2” is a project created with romance and sensuality as its main thematic components. The project is just about 22 minutes of run time, but H.O.M.A sure has a lot to say on the subject matter in that time. It starts with the project opener, “Complicated”, on which he skillfully bemoans the inconsistency of his lover. By track 2, he confesses himself as a sucker for love, an interesting turn of events considering the circumstances around the preceding song. On “Nubian”, we are introduced to the sensual side of the artiste as he goes on a melodic rant about sexual desires. “Bamboozle” and “Fire” continue in the general direction of proceedings, but “Tgif” and “Jenny’s Journey” – one an invitation to party the other a protracted introspective moment – prove to be exceptions.
The lyrical content of “Compilation 2” is far from groundbreaking. However, where this project finds its uniqueness is in its sound. The entire soundscape of the mixtape represents a very bold choice, and the artiste will be well aware of how divisive his selections may prove to be. The tracks are delivered over beats that aim to fully immerse the audience in the listening experience. As such, the beats are largely difficult to fully characterize. R&B, Afrobeats, Soul, and Pop blend to create an iteration of Alternative music that is certainly different. But therein lies the problem; not everyone is bound to responding to this kind of uniqueness. “Sucker” and “Fire” are the only songs that bear any resemblance to the prevailing Afrobeats sound that dominate the mainstream. But then, the alternative sounds are actually quite good – the peak of which just might be “Jenny’s Journey” – and would be very pleasurable for those willing to open their minds to new listening experiences.
Now, for the artiste’s more personal assessment. Lyrically, H.O.M.A’s performance is actually top-notch. He displays intelligence in the manner in which he chooses his words and strings them together to capture his emotions and intentions. He isn’t the most vocally powerful individual, but he makes up for it by knowing his strengths and limitations and playing the middle ground effectively. Between utilizing neat flows and melodies and taking the backseat for the instrumental to do the work, H.O.M.A displays maturity and experience of someone who understands music – or at least the kind of music he wants to create.
Standout track: Nubian
