Debut albums are tricky projects. Particularly when you are an artiste who has already built up some sort of underground following before you even release your first album.
You would have do the delicate balancing act of meeting up with the expectations generated by previously released singles and still producing brand new material to sustain the buzz.
In other words, you have to produce some more of the old while still showing us a brand new side of you. Something old, something new.
In Adekunle Gold’s debut album, the YBNL singer appears to fulfilled some of that. That is if you even factor in the unimaginative title and the faux-Beyonce release of the album.
The previously released singles, ‘Sade’, and more especially ‘Orente’ laid a template for the singer to follow, if mainly by reason of their wide acceptance. A template for soul-infused love ballads that stand out from the deafening background noise of all the pop music in the Nigerian music scene.
Just like ‘Orente’ and ‘Sade’, ‘Nurse Alabere’ stands out from the album. Like the previously released singles, this track speaks of love found and love lost. Love so strong that it would require serious medication to be free from it. Hopefully from a gentle and buxom nurse.
‘Paradise’ is another excellent track. Maybe its just something about unrequited love that Adekunle is able to communicate effectively more than most Nigerian musicians. There is also something about the call and response in this song that is jarring, in a good way even. Particularly since its in Adekunle’s Yoruba language
But ‘My Life’ is heavy on percussion, heavy on strings and not much else.
‘Beautiful Night’ is soulful and boring at the same time. Probably was meant to be just a skit but still doesn’t strike any special cords despite all the introspection in the song.
‘Friend Zone’ sounds disappointingly like any of the myriad pangalo-pop tunes you hear on radio, right from its social media inspired title to its mindless mix of all manner of drums. Still will get you dancing though.
On ‘No Forget’, Adekunle features his rumoured boo and fellow singer Simi. They make a good couple not only on camera but also on this song. Not also does this song prove that Simi is blessed with an amazing voice, the entire album is proof of her incredible mastering admixing skills.
‘Pick Up’ is another one in the long line of Nigerian pop songs that look to entreat a known or unknown deity to come save us from the unimaginable. Nothing really to see here.
It is really when Adekunle strays from his soul-laden ballads and tries his hand out with meaningless pop that he struggles to impress. On ‘Work’, for example, he is disappointing, pandering to motivational psycho-babble.
‘Ariwo Ko’ is even worse. Ironically noisy in a meta-song way and not very pretty at it.
The few standout songs on this album are heavily weighed down by the mediocre ones in this release. Perhaps an EP might have been a better choice for the YBNL singer.
All in all, Gold is a pretty average album, even as it doesn’t tell us anything new about the singer. It might impress some but it won’t win him any new fans.
Source Naijahotloaded.com
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