The Ultimate Lagos Album.
Concept albums are known to resonate well with listeners, as they are usually quite relatable, while also being educative and entertaining. A number of albums have been made, centering about the concept of life in Lagos—with Ajebutter22’s What Happens In Lagos (2017), standing out in recent times. There is, however, one project that stands out as the ultimate Lagos concept album; Tony Allen’s Lagos No Shaking.
Lagos No Shaking is set in the economic hub of Africa, Lagos. Tony Allen (RIP) the veteran drummer and band leader, who co-started the Afrobeat genre with Fela, made an album that tells the stories and tales of what it’s like living in Lagos. He enlisted the help of Yinka Davies and Fatai Rolling Dollars (amongst others) to help tell these stories in a very comprehensive and realistic way while keeping the listeners entertained with a very much laid back type of Afrobeat, different from what Fela made popular.
Track-by-track Review.
The album opens with the song Ise Nla, which means “wonderful work.” Ise Nla talks about God’s miraculous works in the life of man, how no man can stop God’s work whenever He decides to start doing His miraculous works.
The next song is a Yinka Davis featured song, titled Morose. It’s a feel-good song that screams, “Problem no dey finish, try dey smile, Bossman.” from beginning to end. Yinka Davies ensured to put a smile on the face of her listeners with her witty lines while telling her listeners to ensure they put a smile on someone’s face.
The third song on the album is titled Aye Le, which loosely translates to “Life is hard”, but in this case, refers to humans not being straightforward. Aye Le is a warning song to be careful of those around you, those who pretend to love you but only want your downfall. The singer tells a story of how his “enemies wey disguise as friends” will pretend to be sad and weary in front of his mother when he dies, but it’s all a show. With only his Creator on his side, he is poised to face the world.
Losun comes next on the album. It means “Go and sleep.” Once again, Yinka Davies delivers a top notch song, mixed with some comical elements. Yinka Davies tells a tale of two people from different backgrounds; Bababara, a white lady, and Yinka—a typical Lagos babe, that doesn’t have time for nonsense. She makes fun of Bababara’s reaction to surprise and pain, by saying, “Bababara go say ‘ohh’ I go say ‘ahhh’, she go say ‘ouch’ I go say ‘yeeeeh.’ She also mocks Bababara for being romantic to her lover while inviting Bababara over to Lagos, to come and enjoy real life.
The next song is titled One Tree. One Tree talks about being a lone, standing force that stands as a support for others to flourish, the tree is compared to the mightiness of the iroko tree and how far its roots go. The following song is titled Ole which means “Lazy person.” Ole tells the story of a lazy person that prefers to just wake up and resume his daily shifts at the beer palour. After being adviced severally, he decides to get a job. He soon realizes the benefits of working, instead of being idle. On the next song titled Kilode, meaning “Why?” or “What happened?”, Yinka Davies passes a very crucial message; keep calm and spread peace, instead of being hot tempered and violent.
On the next song, Tony Allen enlisted the help of veteran singer Fatai Rolling Dollar (RIP) on the song Awa na re, which loosely translates to “Here we are.” This could easily pass as the soundtrack for a movie titled “Life and Times in the City-State of Lagos. ” Fatai Rolling Dollar brings in a much calmer feel to the song while he sings praises of Lagos; the many possibilities Lagos holds, its nightlife, the ladies, the beautiful structures and as well the “street way” of life.
On the ninth song of the album titled Ogogoro, an important life saving message is passed: Alcohol causes a lot of damage, avoid getting drunk. The song tells the story of a drunkard and how his drunkenness tells on his productivity, his wife and his family at large. The next song is titled Moyege which means “I have succeeded.” Moyege tells the story of almost every Lagosian; hustling and hitting the jackpot in Lagos. Moyege reminds the listener not to forget their parentsʼ house when they start making the bag. Never forget where you come from.
The last song on the album, Gbedu, which means “Jam”, is a song highly influenced by the Igbo culture. Gbedu signifies one of the things Lagos is best known for—its nightlife. After all the hustling on the streets of Lagos, it’s only right to turn up hard. After all, there’s no party like a Lagos party.
