On Bond, Kemena does Afropop his own way, a fresh sound that is refreshing to hear. The oil painting-esque cover art is enough to catch your attention and the music is even better. This is truly one of the best projects of 2020, a feat that is more applaudable when the fact that Kemena is relatively new to the scene is considered.

The album opens with Ibadan, an ode to the city where he found his love. He goes on to share the details of their love story, captured with near faultless songwriting. On International, Kemena, takes on a character that reflects the title of the album, as he makes it clear, that he will be “James Bond” for his lover. “If I see my baby crying, you know somebody dying” sounds like a threat, James Bond would be proud of. Kemena is back to being the sweet lover boy on Only You, one of the standout tracks on the album. High Tension, Inugo, and Pick Up follow, with both songs showcasing Kemena’s stellar songwriting skills. On Feeling, he switched to a slightly higher tempo, and still delivered exceptionally. He also doesn’t disappoint on the last set of songs on the album with Down and Something I Knew standing out. Also, you would hardly hear an outro better than SuperPowers this year.

Standout Tracks: Ibadan, Only You, Inugo, Down

8.0
Score

Final Verdict

Kemena is the real deal and Bond is an excellent body of work. It is easy for emerging acts to try a formula that already works, but Kemena takes the different route, putting out an album that is different yet refreshing. Bond deserves all the accolades it can get, and it is only up from here for this talented act.