Month: January 2022

This review is for a song titled “Oh yah yah yah” by Lawrence Ibrahim featuring multi-talented rapper and poet, Degeneral and Zack Silva. The song was released on the 23rd of January, 2022. It has a total play time of 223 seconds (3 minutes 23 seconds). The genre of the song is Christian Hip pop.

General overview:

“Oh yah yah yah” is a song of praise to God. Though it’s not the kind of song you can dance to because the tempo is slow, but it will definitely get you nodding your head. It gives you that feel of victory, hope, and excitement, especially if you are a Christian. Personally, I think it would be perfect as theme music or end credits for Christian movie with a message of victory for the believer.

Strong points:

• Beautiful melody. The melody of this song is it’s strongest point. I could play this song over and over and not get tired of listening to it. It’s just so beautiful. I love it. (Don’t blame me, I’m a composer).
• Great production. Next to the melody of the song, the production is the second strongest point of the song. The choice of instruments were creative. If the wrong instruments were used for this melody, it would have ended up sounding very emotional and moody, but the producer’s choice was really creative. Also, I love the way the tension in the song builds up gradually, and consistently, from the intro to the second chorus. It created dynamics in the song. It also gives the impression of moving from a tough situation to victory at last (which is why I will totally recommend this song for a movie’s theme music). I must commend the producer of this song.
• Relevant message. The message of the song is simple, yet relevant; God alone is worthy of praise. And our experiences or the struggles we go through personally does not change that truth.
• The artists featured, Zack Silva and Degeneral added their own spice to the song in a beautiful way.
• Excellent vocal delivery. Everyone on this track, Lawrence Ibrahim, Zack Silva and Degeneral did a great job with their vocal delivery.

What could have been improved:

• The song title did not do justice to the message of the song at all. Honestly, the only reason I decided to listen to the song in the first place was because I knew one of the artists personally. It was only when I listened that I realized the song was more than the title. I feel a better and more appealing title should have given to the song. The title doesn’t even have to be a line in the song.
• I didn’t quite like the way Degeneral’s verse ended. I appreciate the creativity in sharing what looked like an honest confession of someone struggling to see reasons to praise God, but I wish he ended the verse on a positive note (that God still deserves praise despite his experiences).

Conclusion:

“Oh yah yah yah” by Lawrence Ibrahim is a beautiful song. I love it. I had played it repeatedly for more than 3hrs before I decided to review it and I enjoyed listening to it. On a scale of 1 to 10, I will give this song an 8/10. You can download the song here. You can also read other song reviews I’ve done here.

This song review is for “N’obi” by Nigerian Gospel artist, Miracle Paul. Miracle Paul was signed under the same record label as popular Gospel musician, Ada Ehi last year. “N’obi” is an Igbo expression which literally translates “in my heart” in English. The song was released on the 29 th of October, 2021. It has has a total play time of 210 seconds (3 minutes 30 seconds). The genre of the song is a blend of Afro pop and Contemporary Christian Music.

General Overview:

N’obi is a love song to God. It redirects the mind of the listeners (especially Christian believers) to the truth that Christ is not only their Lord, but also their lover. It’s not the the kind of song to dance to, rather it’s a song you sit back and enjoy. Due to the fact that it is calm and non-distracting, it would really do well as background music in any Christian gathering and can serve several other purposes.

Strong points:

• Great composition. The song was composed in a way that enhanced the message of the song. The choice of chords and their arrangement was good.
• Great production. It’s true that that the song was beautifully composed, but the production made the composition more appealing. The production of this song was quite good. Considering the message of the song, I must commend the choice of instruments used in this production. They enhance the emotion of the song. And they were skillfully played too. Also, the mix was good. There was clarity and balance in the mix.
• Relevant message. Like I stated at the general overview, it’s a love song to God. The song talks about the loving way in which God relates with believers and in response to that unconditional love, Miracle Paul affirms his love for God, calling Him “odim n’obi” which translates “the one in my heart” or “the one my heart yearns for”.
• Another good thing about this song is that there was dynamics. And it’s beautiful. You could play the song repeatedly and not get tired of it.

What could have been improved:

• The chant at the beginning of the song was misleading. It gives you the feeling of a very sad/ sorrowful song. Thankfully, when the instruments were introduced, it changed that feel.
• The backing vocals lacked emotions. This song is a love song and the words depicted a lot of emotions welling in the heart of the writer. But the backing vocals sounded flat with no emotion at all. They sang it like it meant nothing to them. Personally, I began to think that the song would have been better without them.
• The point where Miracle Paul spoke in tongues at the end of the song didn’t seem natural. I could argue that it was unnecessary in this song. There are other songs where it would naturally blend with the message of the song, but it didn’t quite sit well in this song.

Conclusion:

I listened to “N’obi” several times before reviewing it. It’s a beautiful song. And the melody sticks quite easily. On a scale of 1- 10, I would give this song a 7/10. You can listen to the song on Deezer. You can also read other song reviews I’ve done here.

This song review is for ‘See What The Lord Has Done’ by Nigerian Gospel singer, Nathaniel Bassey. It was released on the 6^th of January, 2022. It has a total play time of 450 seconds (7 minutes 30 seconds). The genre of the song is Contemporary Christian Music.

General Overview:

‘See what the lord has done’ is a calm reflective song of worship with lots of emotions. The entire song was composed and sang in such a way that it gets you to reflect on the faithfulness and goodness of God. It also stirs up faith in the listeners that God is able to do whatever they are believing Him for. I can say the song is both a worship song and a prophetic song.

Strong points:

• The message of the song was clearly passed across in a very simple way. There was no ambiguity in the lyrics.
• The instrumentation of the song was not distracting. The instrumentalists kept it simple in a non-distracting manner, such that the message of the song sinks in as you listen. Also, the choice of instruments was perfect for the song. The use of many stringed instruments added to the emotion of the song.
• The vocal delivery of Nathaniel Bassey and the backing vocalists was great for this song. Considering that the song was meant to be an emotional song, the manner in which they sang was quite perfect for the song. Also, the modulations in the song added some more emotions to it.

Conclusion:

Due to the fact that ‘See what the lord has done’ is not a regular kind of song, I will not be able to do a detailed review of the song. I’m also not going to rate it, for personal reasons.

You can watch the song on YouTube. You can also read other music reviews I’ve done here.

This review is for ‘Daddy You Too Much’, a gospel song by Nigerian Gospel singer, Judikay. The song was released on the 17^th of December, 2021. It has a total play time of 366 seconds (6 minutes 6 seconds). The genre of the song is Contemporary Christian Music with a little of the ‘Naija’ Afro pop flavour.

General Overview:

‘Daddy you too much’ is the kind of song that could be sang in church, during a service, as a praise song. It is easy to sing along and it is also danceable. Add that to the fact that it contains Biblical truth and you see why I said it would perfectly fit as a praise song in Church.

Strong points

• Beautiful production and mix. The production is the song was sweet. The choice of instruments were great. There was this sweet blend of virtual instruments and some live instruments. And it was pleasing to the ear. I particularly enjoyed the bass line of the song. The mixing was superb. Despite the fact that there were many instruments and voices, there was still clarity and balance in the mix. Everything was well panned across the stereo space.
• Great back up singers. The backing vocalists were talented. The harmony in their voices was heavenly. I dare to say that the backing vocalists made the song what it is. They were very professional and I enjoyed listening to them.
• Sound Biblical content. This is another great plus for this song. The song praises God for his goodness and inexplicable love. Judikay tried to mention a few of the wonderful things God has done for those who are in Christ, one of which is the fact that He has won the victory over sin and the world on their behalf.

What could have been improved

• The drum fills were too frequent. At some point in the song I got completely tired of hearing the toms because of how frequent they were played. Drum fills are great but when they are too frequent they start to be a nuisance.
• Judikay was screaming in way that was unnecessary for the song. I understand that that’s her own style of singing, but for this song, the screaming didn’t quite fit. I wish she had continued with the calmness with which she sang the first verse of the song, or just raise the volume a little. But the screaming was just too much, and in my opinion, it was unnecessary.
• The repetition of “I will sing…thank you” and “I will shout…” was too much. It lasted for 118 seconds non- stop (that’s about one-third of the song) and yet it was repeated for another 32 seconds at the end of the song. At some point, after the first 70 seconds of singing those phrases, I got tired of hearing it. It would have been okay, if I was hearing it in a live performance, but for a recorded piece, it was too much.

Conclusion:

‘Daddy you too much’ is a beautiful song; Judikay and her team did a great job. I enjoyed listening to the song and for sure, I danced. On a scale of 1-10, I would give the song 8/10.

You can listen to ‘Daddy You Too Much’ by Judikay on Deezer .

You can also read other music reviews I’ve done here.

This review is for the song, Pose by S.O.N. Pose is a song by Jos based multi- talented artist and producer, S.O.N featuring Oluwadrumma. It was released on 29^th of October, 2021. It has a total length of 224 seconds (3 minutes 44 seconds). The genre of the song is Afro pop with little dash of Electronic Dance Music.

General overview:

Pose is a dance song. It’s the kind of song that you play in a celebration like wedding, birthday, and it will definitely get everyone on their feet and dancing. It aims at encouraging believers not to hide testimonies of what God has done for them, but rather to share them.

Strong points:

• Great production. The very first thing that you hear when you play the song is this beautiful synth bass accompanied with a soothing piano. The production of the song is the strongest point of the song. It’s beautiful. The choice of instruments were perfect and they were skillfully played.
• Great composition. The chord progression was beautiful and there was dynamics in the song. Even though the chord progression was the same throughout the song, yet the production was done in such a way that there was dynamics in the song. There was this beautiful interlude after every verse/Chorus that kept the song interesting from the beginning to the end of the song. You could play the song over and over and not get tired of it.
• Relevant message. The message of the song was relevant.
• Great vocal delivery. SON did a great job. His vocals depicted the message of the song well and blended well with the instrumentation. Also, the artist featured in the video, A Mose, did an awesome job as well. His verse added spice to the song.

What could have been improved

• The words used in the lyrics to pass across the message is a bit limiting. The slangs used are not timeless and excludes the older generation from understanding the message of the song. Only the younger folks would understand the song’s message well. Considering that the message of the song is not exclusively for young people alone, the use of words that would be easily understood by everyone (including the older folks) would have been better.

Conclusion:

Pose is a beautiful song. Personally, it ranks among the most played songs on my playlist. On a scale of 1- 10, I rate this song 9/10. You listen or download the song using this link. Or you could watch the video here.

Check out other music reviews I’ve done here.

This review is for a song titled, Life. ‘Life’ is a single by Christian hip pop artist, Freeman Fanatic featuring Mary David. The song was released on the 23 rd of September, 2021. It has a total length of 170 seconds (2minutes 50 seconds). The genre of the song is Christian Hip pop.

General overview:

Life is a song of reflection. It reminds the listeners that we all, have a brief time to spend on earth, as humans, and that none of us knows when we are going to die. Being a song written to make one reflect/ think about life, it was not composed/ produced to make you want to jump and dance; both the lyrics and the melody were intentionally tailored to make you sit back and think.

Strong points:

• Great vocal delivery. As mentioned in the general overview, the song was meant to make listeners reflect about life; not to dance and both Freeman Fanatic and Mary David did that effectively in their delivery. They were able to drive home the message of the song with the way they presented it.
• The lyrics of the song were on point. They clearly passed across the message of the song. There were no ambiguity in the lyrics; anyone who listens to the song would get the message clearly.
• Great composition. The song was composed in a way that depicted the message of the song and that’s a big plus. The choice of chords was perfect; they give you that sober, reflective feel that makes you sit back, listen to the lyrics and reflect.
• Good production. The choice of instruments were just fitting for the song. The production was also very good.
• There was dynamics in the song. Even though the mood of the song was reflective, yet it was dynamic enough to keep you listening to the end. In fact, you could listen to the song over and over and not get bored. I particularly like the twist at around 1:48 where the beat changed from Hip pop to Naija Afro pop and returned to Hip pop.

What could have been improved:

• The speech at the intro of the song was not clear. And I’m not referring to the filter applied to it. Anyone listening to the song would barely understand what was said there.
• There were many producer tags in the songs and some of them were in the middle of the song. Hearing producer tags in the middle of a song is a big turn off for most people. It sounds very unprofessional. Producer tags should be either at the beginning or end of the song, not in the middle.

Conclusion:

I would say Life is a beautiful song with a relevant message. I enjoyed listening to it and would recommend it. On a scale of 1- 10, I would rate this song 7/10. You can listen or download the song reviewed in this post using this link.

You can also check other music reviews here

In this post, I will review a song titled, ‘Selense’ by former Nigerian ‘RnB’ singer who is now a Gospel singer, Banky W, featuring Mercy Chinwo. The song is part of a seven-tracked EP titled ‘The Bank Statements’. It was released on the 25th of November, 2021. The song has a total play time of 260 seconds (4 minutes 20 seconds). The genre of the song is Afro Gospel. Selense is term in Nigerian pidgin that implies walking with confidence.

General Overview:

Selense is a song that would easily get you on your feet and dancing. It can be played on celebrations like wedding and birthdays, and would also do well as a ‘praise song’ in a church service.

Detailed Review:

1. Intro: The song began with a common ‘naija’ loop accompanied by two guitars, then rest of the instruments joined in a very beautiful and well planned manner. The beauty and professionalism exhibited in the intro is awesome.
2. Composition: The melody of the entire of song is beautiful. There was dynamics in the song. You could play the song over and over again and not get tired of it.
3. Vocal delivery: Both Banky W and Mercy Chinwo proved themselves to be musical maestros indeed. Their vocal delivery was awesome. They manner in which they complimented each other and harmonized each other’s voice was so beautiful. And they clearly passed across the message of the song beautifully and clearly. Of course, we all know that both artists have beautiful voices and know how to maximize them.
4. Lyrics: The lyrics of the song were carefully written and arranged to pass the message of the song clearly. Also, the message of the song was very relevant. Being Banky’s first release after his restoration to faith, Selense is a song that he used to share his testimony. He talked about how God brought him out of darkness into light. And how that deliverance (salvation) makes him confident. He also appreciates God for saving him.
5. Production and mix: The production of the song was top notch. The choice of instruments were perfect and they were skillfully played too. The key and tempo of the song were perfect for the song. The mix of the song was highly professional. There was balance and clarity in the mix. The instruments were well panned across the stereo space, the frequencies were not clashing, there was the right amount of low end as well as the high end. I could almost say the mix is perfect.

Conclusion:

‘Selense’ by Banky W is a beautiful song. It’s currently among the most played songs on my playlist. I can’t seem to find anything bad about the song. So, on a scale of 1- 10, I would rate this song 10/10.

You can listen to the song on Deezer. You can also read other music reviews I’ve done here.