Category: Music Reviews

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.

‘Ceto Mana’ is a Christmas song by Jos based Christian Hip pop rapper, Isaac Ajila. ‘Ceto mana’ means ‘salvation for us’ in English. The song was released on the 19^th of December, 2021. It has a total play time of 250 seconds (4 minutes 10 seconds). The genre of the song is Christian Hip pop (as expected).

General overview

Ceto Mana is the kind of song you’ll nod your head or tap your feet to once it starts playing. It has this classic feel of hip pop of the 90’s. Coupled with it’s rich biblical content, Ceto mana is song to easily vibe to.

Strong points

• The intro of the song is quite interesting. It creates a kind of suspense for what’s about to come later and leaves you wanting to hear the rest of the song.
• Isaac Ajila’s confidence was epic and was evident in his vocal delivery. He was bold about his message and that boldness was a real plus to the song.
• The song has a rich scriptural content. The song talks about the privileges that Believers now have because of what Jesus did for them.
• His rhymes and flow were on point. The lyrics were not just scripturally rich, they were also carefully arranged to be pleasant to the ears.

What could have been improved

There was no dynamics in the song. As is characteristic of 90’s hip pop, the melody of the song was the same from the beginning to the end. An introduction of something different somewhere in the song, maybe the third verse, would have added a little spice to the song.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say this a very beautiful piece of music. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this song, 7/10. You can listen or download the song for yourself using this link