Every artist has a statement project, one where they announce themselves as a talent to be taken seriously in the industry. For one Daniel Oyairo going by the stage name of Danie, his debut EP “Sorry I Overslept” is that project. He has worked up to the May 21 release date too, having released the project’s first single, “Halo”, as far back as November 2021. So yes, “Sorry I Overslept” is a statement project for him. Not just because it’s his debut EP, but because of the work that went into putting it together which is evidenced by the quality of producers and sound engineers he recruited to cook the sounds just right, and the sheer amount of time that has gone into every aspect of the creation process. Over 30 thousand streams on Audiomack alone tell a story of reasonable success but let’s dive into an assessment of the quality of music on offer, because quality over quantity, right?
SONG-BY-SONG REVIEW:
“ROCK MY WORLD”
In more ways than one, this song is an Afrobeats reimagination of Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World”. He borrows the melody of that classic song’s hook to set the tone for the song and layers his own style onto the Frankeys-produced instrumental. Aurazilla comes through with backing vocals that complement Danie very nicely indeed. As for the theme of the song, well you can guess it from the title; Danie lives little to the imagination with his colourful use of metaphors.
“KONKOBILITY”
The tempo goes up a couple of notches on this song. Northboi gets production credit for the instrumental and it feels like he was listening to prime Burna Boy when the inspiration for the beat came. As for Danie, he hops onto the inviting sounds with the right energy. There’s a freestyle vibe to his performance here, like he just hopped in the boot and start singing off the top. It does turn out well; though the cleverness in the lyrics of the opening track are not quite here, the flow and melody will sway you into forgetting about that.
“ENERGY”
Frankeys brings us back to chilled vibes on this entry; this is music fitting for unwinding after a long day of stress. Danie himself is a man that cannot be stressed as he reminisces on tough times in his life, and draws strength from those experiences he overcame. Danie did what he had to do but credit goes to the producer, Frankeys, because this song has a very calming effect that is further accentuated by the background vocals infused as well as the high quality of mixing and mastering.
“HALO”
Danie is a lover boy once again on this fourth track. He assures his love interest of the untouchable position she holds in his life and threatens competition to back off from his baby. The hook of this song is perhaps the best one on the project and Danie shows once again that he knows how to feed off the energy of an instrumental and run with it accordingly. STG handled the mixing and mastering here, so that tells you all you need to know really.
“WAKA”
“Waka” is excellent walking music, which is only right when you consider the translation of the song title. The production is the handiwork of Bizzouch and the brilliance of what he does here cannot be overemphasized. Danie channels his inner Fela Kuti and matches Bizzouch’s brilliance with his own performance on the song. His melody beckons you to get on your feet and be on the move and it’s a real struggle keeping still listening to this song. The best song on the project, arguably.
“SADE”
Northboi and STG worked on the production and mixing and mastering of this track respectively, and the combination is as lethal as you can expect. The bad boy in Danie comes out to play as he paints pictures of sexual scenes with lyrics that are as vivid as they come. Danie has a good singing voice and “Sade” is probably his best vocal performance as he really leans into the range of voice to express himself here.
“FAITHFUL”
Danie’s lyrics has not featured too much of storytelling up to this point, but there’s a very generous serving of that on “Faithful”. He speaks on his struggle with fidelity in romantic relationships and confesses that he is a serial cheater, despite the advice of his mother to be the exact opposite. It’s a laudable effort and a fitting closing to the EP.
The entirety of the project runs for only 21 minutes but Danie does a fantastic job of maximizing the runtime and showcasing his skills and gifts in shining light. It will be interesting to know how much of a Terri fan he is, because there’s a lot of parallels to be drawn in their sounds, voices and styles. It’s good company to be in though, so he probably won’t mind the comparisons that may form in the mind of those that listen to “Sorry I Overslept”.
All in all, it’s a lovely project so apology accepted, Danie, just don’t oversleep again.
Verdict: 8/10
Listen to Sorry I Overslept –
