BRYMO: Merchants, Dealers & Slaves [Album Review]

I thought of different ways to write about this album, and the best thing I came up with was to write based on how I felt after listening to Merchants, Dealers & Slaves. But before I go into that, let me warn you that if you are into “pangolo” music, you know – noise, sounds made by someone who sold their soul to Lucifer and now has to avoid his nightly phone calls begging for a refund, don’t read this review. Just exit this page now.

Music should make you feel, charge your emotions listening – reinforce or change them, you realized you’re not in the same mood you were when you started listening to it, which means the goal has been achieved. It’s almost like a spiritual experience. I think I had stars in my eyes the first time I listened. That was what Merchants, Dealers & Slaves did to me.

I wasn’t going to really talk about individual tracks, and all the tracks on this album are great, but some notable mentions are – Track 1 – Truthfully, which is romantic, and Brymo’s vocals leads the sensuality that the lyrics require.  Track 2 – Money is the best song on this album. I said that because it happens to be my favorite on the album. If you’re a big fan of instrumentals like I am, you will appreciate this one. Track 3 – Dear Titilope ushers in one of the biggest hits on the album, which is Track 4 – Eko. Track 2 and 3 made me understand why a fan said this album reminded him a lot of Fela. You know there is no Afrobeat without jazz, funk, highlife and vocals blended with percussion. Brymo gave us all of that and more on this album. I bet Fela is smiling at him right now. We all know how great Fela is, and for an artist in this century to be compared to a legend, is a pretty big deal. Track 5 – Grand Pa is a track that talks about his Grand father and his non-chalant way of living and now he is running out of timer because he is getting older. Another track that I really love is Track 10 – Se Bo’ Timo. The “street” translation for that is “Do You.” The message that this song passes along is for us to know who we are, who our true friends are. So, don’t be fooled because no matter how perfect you think you are, whoever will praise you, will. The ones, who will criticize you, will. Even when you fall, you are all you’ve got, so get back up and keep on moving. Life is not that hard when you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities. And that’s just to name a few. This is not an album you listen to and skip tracks.

From what I read online, this is actually his third album. I didn’t even know he had an album before “Son of a Kapenta”, his second album, which was a pretty decent album but it didn’t get the publicity that it deserved. I’m not sure why he left Chocolate City, and a lot of us even felt like he didn’t reach his full potential while he was under that label, but now Brymo has chosen the perfect time to spread his wings. There’s much more to him than an excellent voice. This album is worthy of the praises it’s likely to receive, and has been receiving. Brymo has found it within himself to make music that’s genuinely beautiful, classic and progressive. I don’t think anyone has ever doubted him as an artist, I haven’t, but now it is even more obvious that Brymo is an artist with quite a bit to say.

Overall, I rated this album a 10/10. So, as you listen to Merchants, Dealers and Slaves, close your eyes and float along because it is bound to take you to that place of eternity. There are albums that are ultimately just nice and safe, and we also have albums that will make you look up and say “Damn! That was freaking amazing!” Merchants, Dealers & Slaves is one of those albums.

Get Merchants, Dealers & Slaves here.

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BANKY W. - R&BW ALBUM REVIEW

BANKY W.
R&BW
LABEL - E.M.E (Empire Mates Entertainment)
RELEASED -  02.13.13
SCORE - 5 out of 5

I want to believe that the day Banky W. released the tracklist for R&BW, he pretty much confirmed the rumors about the “Star Boy” - Wizkid not being a part of E.M.E anymore because Wizkid was not featured on any of the tracks. Due to this reason, a lot of fans have shown concerns for the record label because they believe that the record is still relevant today because of WizKid. Although, we still don’t know why he left the label, some of us are still shocked, but these things happens. We had the Plantashun Boiz (Faze,TuFace, Black Face) back in the days, and they split up. Even D’Banj and Don Jazzy split up, so, Wizkid leaving E.M.E just proves to us that nothing really lasts forever. But if you still think that E.M.E will be nothing without Wizkid, you might want to listen to R&BW.

With that being said, I have decided to review this album, specially for the people who are yet to buy and listen to it, so that you won’t miss out on a gem like this. As usual, I will only review my favorite tracks because the album is still very new, I don’t want to give out all the details,so I will only review my favorite tracks, in no order,   this might be challenging because I love every single song on this album, but let’s see how this goes.

R&BW basically has a love theme through most of it, from tracks like “Good Good Loving”, “Be My Lover”, “Yes/No”, to other tracks like “Find You”, “To My Unborn Child”, “Low Key”, and “Say”.

Skales is one of the most talented artists we have in Nigeria, but I still would rather him sing than rap. But that didn’t stop him from shining on Track 03 - Magic, which is a little up-tempo, compared to several other tracks. The song is about a guy got hypnotized by the way a girl danced and how she stood out in the midst of other girls, so it felt like magic and that just means that she might be the one. As usual, Banky W. did not disappoint with his amazing vocal skills. I thought the harmony and his ab-libs were well on point.  Skales also showed us that he had some pretty cool lines like “Trapped in your enchantment and I ain’t trying to be free/ To other girls I’m ghost, ‘cause I always wanna have you close/ You ain’t supposed to lose me, that’ll be magic gone wrong/ Me and you behind closed doors, I won't tell, your magic, girl, I’m under your spell”. I think he is still proving to be one of the most promising artists of today.

Track 11 - To My Unborn Child, features Lynxx. This song reminded me of 2Pac. Not only did Banky impress with his vocals, he also showed us that he could spit a few bars like - “The only person in your way is the one in the mirror / if it hasn’t worked out, it ain’t the end. It’s ok to fail as long as you try again/ Greener on the other side, some say so, make sure you cut the grass slow so the snakes show/ Loyalty is thin as ice, it’s easy to skate, a promise is easy to make and easy to break.” Lynxx also came through. His verse featured lines like - “Never let your feelings show when you sleep, it’s a cold world / And remember, money isn’t everything, but your last name can get you anything/ Never let your feelings show when you sleep, it’s a cold world/ Always be aware of the company you keep/ Always put God first in everything you do/ I hope you grow up to be a greater version of me.”  One would consider this track to be “deep” because it is hard for some of us to explain these feelings and put them into words. I think it’s pretty tremendous. Think about the impact it will have on your child as he reads/listens to it later. This particular song happens to be my favorite on the album.

It’s not a R&BW album till it features a baby making song, right? And who can really make you say “na na na na na na na” if it isn’t Banky W.? Track 09 - Say, features E.M.E’s Shaydee, Sammie and Rotimi. If you want to make love to your special lady, this is a track you want to keep on repeat. Talk about eargasm! These artists brought their everything, from lyrics, ad-libs, harmony, soul, everything, to the table! I don’t know who Sammie is but now I want to hear more of him. I just might like Shaydee’s voice even better than Banky W. I just might! And Rotimi’s sweet soulful voice just makes you warm and fuzzy inside. This is a beautiful song.

The album is not  100% R&B. Things pick up a little more on tracks like “01 - The Way”, “07 - Do It To Me”, “13 - Never Let You Go” and  “14 - Good Good Loving Remix” where he features Tuface (You guys will love Tuface on this one). Another track that stood out to me was “12 - African & Proud.” Banky W. features Camp Mulla, Sarkodie and Vector. I read a tweet a couple of weeks ago, asking Nigerian artists to stop featuring Sakordie because he always outshines us. LOL. I think he is an amazing rapper, although, I only understand him when he speaks English, but Vector blew me away! “You go real, we go realer, beat our chests on that ape sh*t!/ Swing in the club like I play golf, Chale!” Whattttt! Vector literally murdered this track!

We see a more spiritual side of Banky W. on Track 16 - Mercy. He gets emotional as he sings about getting things right with God, he wants to be saved from himself - a work in progress, and he asks for mercy. Not only is Banky one of the best vocalists we have in our industry, he is also a good rapper and this track proves it.

The album also features familiar tracks like one of his hit singles “05- Yes/No”, “08 - Be My Lover ft. Niyola”, and “06 - Low Key”, he also features Chocolate City’s M.I Abaga and Trybe Records’ Eldee on Track 15 - More.

Overall, R&BW is a very intelligent album, filled with beautiful lyrics and a lot of soul. Banky W. has made good music in the past, but this is his best work so far. 

Get R&BW here.

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SONG REVIEW: DUNCAN DANIELS – FOREVER

As a frequent music critic, as some might call me, I commonly find myself listening to music that sounds exactly like another album I reviewed the week before. I noticed that in today's world of music, similarities in styles, sounds, and melodies do exist- quite too often. Due to this result, the music that I find worth listening to is usually very different. Uniqueness is a term that has been discarded with modern styles of music, and I enjoy when artists such as Duncan Daniels dare to be different.

I became a fan back in 2010 after he sang one of the songs “Medicine Man” from his album “ShoStoppah”, to me at the park! LOL.  I still remain a fan because the more I listen to his songs, the more I heard Duncan, and so he gets major points for his originality, uniqueness and more importantly, ability.  I had the privilege of listening to his new single “Forever” and I instantly loved it. It’s a song about a guy who lost love, and even though he has been waiting for an answer, he realized that she will not be coming back to him. It hasn’t been released yet, but you should know that it is full of intelligent writing and playing from start to finish. If you feel like looking into yourself, because I believe a lot of us will relate to this song, you should listen, but make sure you pay attention so you don’t miss anything.

During a time when studio executives and artists are more focused on image making than musical expression, it’s nice to hear an honest rock song like Duncan's “Forever”, it is utterly refreshing. I have to warn you that the average Nigerian, who only cares about how fast the beat of a song is going and how sweaty he/she can get from dancing to the beat, will not be able to relate to most of Duncan Daniels’ songs.

Apart from him exhibiting his lyrical potential, I believe the instrumentation is certain to remain in memory, especially at 02:49 and 04:07 minutes into the song, making the sound even better. The song does not have a release date yet, but I expect to see much more publicity from Duncan Daniels in the near future. 

For more Duncan Daniels,follow him on Twitter @Dunkishrock

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JEREMIAH GYANG - THE LOVE ALBUM #REVIEW

If you listen to most of the songs that come out of our entertainment industry these days, you will agree with me when I say that art is dead.  Music, for most of these artists, is just basic business, which is understandable because, hey, I'm not the one paying their bills. Artists love sycophants, the sycophants or fans love noise, so give them noise, come up with a few dance steps to go with your noise and you will make big money. Some fans might even go ahead and call you a "Legend." I call it "noise" because most of the time, I end up losing a few brain cells after listening to some Nigerian songs.  Artists are not in the music business for the art, not anymore. Ask the average Nigerian what he loves about some of these songs and 9 out of 10 times, you will get answers like "The beat is nice", nothing else. The noise they create does entertain most of us, and I guess making "entertainment" is also some kind of Art ?

Regardless, it's nice to see a musical talent like Jeremiah Gyang who still stays true. I consider him to be one of the most soulful, lyrically skilled artists that Nigeria has to offer. I became a fan after listening to his earlier releases, particularly Comforter's Song Ft. Asa - Track 02 and Ke ce Kadai - Track 05. 

 Jeremiah Gyang - Ke Ce Kadai 
 
Jeremiah Gyang Ft. Asa - Comforter's Song

The Love Album obviously has a love theme through most of it. I am big on vocal harmonies and I was happy because, on most of the tracks, Jeremiah shows his vocal skills, like Track 03 - The Only One, and Kauna Allah Ft. Skales, which are also released earlier. And then, there are tracks like  06 - You're My Fire, 11 - Daddie's Song and track 12 - With You. Every thing about these three songs are brilliant! The love I have for these songs can not be explained, you just have to listen to them. Daddie's Song gives you the type of feeling where you get so weak, but also want to jump for joy. I have no idea what he was saying because it is in Hausa Language, but this song is just beautiful. These three tracks are my favorites from the album, not a note out of place, and the harmony is just thrilling.

Jeremiah gives us a salsa tune in Track 09 - Let's Hold Hands, as he talks about how we as a people should keep hope alive as we  try to make Nigeria a better country. Then we find him focusing more on gratitudes in Track 14 - Thank You Lord, as he shows his appreciation to God for getting him to where he is right now and making him do the things he does.

Crowd pleasers like In Love With You - Track 8  and  Keep It - Track 13 , balance out the album well with bubbly up-tempo beats.  Jeremiah features just the right amount of heart and personal touch to make you want more. I have listened over and over and believe me, it is anything but a disappointment. This one is for those prepared for soul and R&B to move on to another level. Because that's really what Jeremiah is  doing with this album.

I didn't review every single track because I didn't want to feel like I was giving away too much. The Love Album is filled with nothing but good music. So  If you are ready to hear something that will someday be considered visionary in the evolution of Nigerian music, don't miss this album.

 Jeremiah Gyang revealed plans for the release of this album with us, in an exclusive interview back in 2009 Here
The Love Album was released on the 14th of October.
It is available online HERE
For more Jeremiah Gyang, follow him on twitter @JeremiahGyang

- This album was reviewed by @OluwaSparkle

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MIXTAPE REVIEW: NO BEAT IS SAFE (NOBIS) - TEEKLEF

So, I haven’t reviewed an album or mixtape in a minute. I think a part of me just got tired of listening to the same type of music, or maybe I’m just lazy. But I’ve been trying to appreciate African music more, so I will take the time to review whaqtever album or mixtape I fit is worthy, starting again with Teeklef’s NOBIS (No Beat Is Safe) Mixtape.

I know a lot of Nigerians are used to the up-beat type of music. You might not get their attention if you don’t have them jumping on their feet or sweating their nutss off while listening t your music. Basically, a lot of Nigerians think the song is “boring” just because they can’t dance to it. So, if you’re looking for that kind of music that gets you doing the Davido or Azonto dance, you definitely won’t enjoy this mix-tape.

The strongest pointss of this mixtape are “Enroute | For Me” and “Last Summer.” The instrumentals, vocals and harmony on these two tracks were just right.  I do not like to compare but his rap reminds me a little of one of my favorite rappers. That’s a huge plus in my book. Teeklef also did right by featuring Afrotunes and Yesi on the track “Stay Scheming.” You will also enjoy other tracks like “My Art”, “Don’t Run Away” (perfect harmony), “1000 Grammys” and “Wassup ft. PO | Mirror.”

Not that this mixtape is without flaws. I thought a couple of the tracks were a bit more of the same. Some of them got soulful and personal  but still remained in  that familiar territory. Teeklef is very talented because, not only does he sing, he raps, writes and produces his music. He is a pretty decent rapper, although I enjoy his singing better and I think he will be really great if he comes out of his comfort zone.

I believe Teeklef is still proving to be one of the most promising artists out there.

NOBIS’ atmosphere feels really warm. This is a feel-good type of music. I mean, track 11 “All Over Your Body” almost had me in cloud 99

Listeners who usually don’t stray too far from R&B and even Soul will be impressed by this mixtape.

Download NOBIS here.

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