It’s a new Friday and there are new songs out. Here’s a review of my personal, Top Ten Pick.
Omah Lay — What Have We Done EP
The amount of talent this kid possesses is scary. It’s scary that he’s yet to scratch the surface of his talent and he’s achieved so much. He has so much talent in his arsenal to go bigger than Wizkid, Davido and Burna combined. After leading the line with his outrageously successful ‘Get Layd’ EP, doing better poses a very daunting task—but, not for a kid like Omah Lay, not him. On ‘What Have We Done’, he further endears himself in our hearts. With his silky, innocent voice, he sings about his new found fame, how he’s coping, with sweet melodies and knockout-worthy flows. It is very obvious that he’s very meticulous with his music making; the attention to the tiniest detail is very evident and laudable. He has this enviable understanding of his instrumentals, that makes him glide1 through the kicks, strings and keys seamlessly. His brand of music should be tagged ‘sweet-music’. He’s a wizard with his melodies and flows. To remind you all, he’s about to score his second 10/10 project in his breakout year! Gargantuan!
Yemi Alade — Empress.
Yemi’s energy, mindset and work rate are all enviable attributes—she’s got all of that going for her. On her new album, Yemi Alade further pushes her sound’s agenda. With almost similar beat patterns all over on her comfort zone genre, Yemi Alade does a bit of detour back into R&B, also getting a bit gospel while still doing that bit of Dancehall. In all, it’s a fair blend of genres. Like she’s always done, she continues her foray into Francophone Africa with the Dadju and Vegedream features. ‘Rain’ and the IamBeatz-produced ‘Weekend’ Ft. Estelle are instant favorites for me. ‘Rain’ is so powerful.
Wurld — AfroSoul Deluxe.
When Afrosoul dropped earlier this year, Wurld further endeared his soulful AfroPop fusion to our hearts. It was a beautiful project. While a deluxe is coming as a surprise to us, it’s absolutely brilliant; it’s a pleasant surprise. With two new tracks joining the former 7, brilliant songs, Wurld experiments continue with his soulful AfroPop fusion. While ‘Chop n Pray’ sounds like a typical Wurld sound, ‘Bossy’ featuring Kida Kudz and Cuppy shows the singer’s ingenuity in crafting new sounds. On ‘Bossy’, he displayed ingenuity in making his blend of AfroPop work with Kida Kudz’s. This Deluxe is an interesting experiment and it’s one that has worked perfectly. Tempoe’s work on ‘Chop n Pray’ is amazing—that instrumental is crazy!
L.A.X — Sade.
I’ve said it times without number that this new wave L.A.X is on is the best thing he could be doing for himself. He’s coined a new sound for himself and he’s settled right into it. He’s taking it easy and mellow now. It’s just vibes now for Zaza, hence the title of the upcoming album ‘Zaza Vibes’. This new song ‘Sade’ is my jam—the laidback vibes really is doing it for me. On this new found sound, L.A.X has found a way to let his voice glide over these laidback instrumentals, churning out sensual, sing-along lyrics. The tracks released so far from his forthcoming album are basically telling us what to expect. Just like ‘Go Low’, ‘Gobe’ and ‘Lose My Mind’, this new tune ‘Sade’ is all mellow and tropical in its own right. I’m in love with this working chemistry he’s got with producer Clemzy.
King Perryy— Waist Ft. Kizz Daniel.
King Perryy is working really hard this year and I’m loving his energy and output. After the huge success of his Psycho YP-assisted ‘YKTFV’, he’s decided to end the year with a new tune with Kizz Daniel. On paper, a King Perryy-Kizz Daniel song sounds like a good idea. In reality, the song they’ve birthed is absolutely amazing. Two artists with unbelievable flows on one song? Fire. ‘Waist’ is a beautiful, summer tune—the type of song that would tear up parties and clubs. With the proper push, this song has all it takes to do better than ‘YKTFV’.
Basketmouth — Yabasi Album.
To start with, I must say how impressed I am with the tracklist of this project. The choice of artists, the pairing? Mind blowing. The A&R on this project is top notch, it’s top tier—maybe god level. The pairing is sending me into fits. I mean, how do you think of putting Waje and Ladipoe on a song! Flash and BOJ on a song?! The Cavemen, Bez and Dice Ailes on a song! Chike and Zoro! Illbliss and Peruzzi?! That’s flames! Genius! The songs on this project are too good and can pass for a movie soundtrack. That’s how good this entire project is. I must say Basketmouth struck gold with this one, he hit it right and big! Duktorsett producing all of the tracks was another genius move. This project is excellent, almost perfect! I hope this album wins.
Laime— Down Low.
I’m a big fan of this guy’s music. From the first time I saw him perform at some lounge in the heart of Victoria Island, I knew he was special. Since then, he’s put out of couple of impressive records, but this one ranks well in that list. It’s a very fine vibe; a great blend of Pop and Alte sound. Laime’s flow is great, his bounce is amazing. The way he switched his flow after the first four bars on the song is so impressive. Singing sultry lyrics, Laime puts his stamp heavy on this record.
Lyta — Everybody.
This is an impressive Lyta release. After taking quite the bashing for his previous video, it’s obvious the Marlian Music act went back to work on something to save face—and he did good settling for this Killertunes produced ‘Everybody’. I particularly love the progression of this song, with rise and fall of the melody at the right places. With a base instrumental of native gangan percussions — which I thought were maybe a bit heavy — Lyta effortlessly flowed, churning out some sweet melodies. I’m particularly impressed with the backup vocals on this song, the sing-along on this song gets me going too. It’s a wholesome release.
DJ Rocket — Late Night Ting Ft. Prettyboy DO, Wani.
I love this song! I love love love this song! I might have to raise a petition to have a longer version released. There’s an untold chemistry between Wani and Prettyboy DO; it’s not spoken of enough. It’s magic. A fusion of Prettyboy’s Pop side and Wani’s sound is absolute flames. Wani’s melodies are unmatched and they’re just lovely to listen to. DJ Rocket made magic putting these two beasts on a Dare production.
Ayuu — Hypnotized Ft. Marzi.
Ayuu is an amazing music maker. This is — like the title suggests — a hypnotizing R&B record. The combination of Ayuu’s soothing voice and Marzi’s silky’s voice makes this record enchanting. It’s the type of song that calls you in. I’m in love with the evident bounce and flow from both artists on this song. It’s an impressive record, a song that deserves to do so well. The hook is appealing and easy to sing-along to, and bop. The backup vocals on this song bring out the beauty in it—amazing.