Is he the face of Afrobeats? Arguably. Is he essentially the most wanted 5’4” man on the planet? Most likely. Is he allergic to sporting a shirt? Presumably. Is his new album “Extra Love, Much less Ego” value a pay attention? Undoubtedly.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, recognized professionally as WizKid, has grow to be some of the outstanding faces within the trendy Afrobeats music scene. The 32-year-old singer-songwriter from Lagos, Nigeria launched his a lot anticipated fifth studio album, “Extra Love, Much less Ego,” Nov. 11, accompanied by a streamable reside present on Apple Music. After gaining reputation from his function on Drake’s “One Dance” in 2016, WizKid has gone on to grow to be essentially the most streamed African musical artist of all time on Spotify. After the constructive reception of his earlier album, “Made in Lagos,” WizKid expands on the weather of that album that followers beloved with this latest challenge.
Off the bat, “Extra Love, Much less Ego,” boasts an incredible four-track run to kickstart the album. The primary music, “Cash & Love” eases the listener into the vibe of the album with a easy but catchy refrain, clean vocals and thematic lyrics. On prime of that, this primary monitor boasts some good backing horns, which return all through the album.
After “Cash & Love,” WizKid delights the listener with “Stability,” a music he introduced as a “traditional file” in his Nov 14 Apple Music reside present. I’m inclined to agree; the bass line jumps as quickly as you press play, and any listener can catch onto the easy, sound-oriented refrain.
Subsequent is the album single “Unhealthy to Me,” which begins with a cool minor beat that shortly shifts to main when WizKid’s vocals are available. Whereas the complete music is dynamic and enjoyable, the post-chorus is most memorable with its chanting, sing-along lyrics in English, Yoruba and even Spanish. This part translated very nicely into the reside present, with each member of the gang shouting, “For my amigos!” again at WizKid.
To finish this run, WizKid options Arya Starr on “2 Sugar.” On this monitor, it appears WizKid is attempting to recapture the magic of his smash hit, “Essence,” from “Made in Lagos.” Whereas the vibe of “Essence” is kind of recaptured, “2 Sugar” is certainly distinct with its extra complicated theme. Many of the songs in WizKid’s catalog are about shallow, one-night relationships, however “2 Sugar” talks about baggage and preventing your individual demons earlier than coming into a relationship. These overarching themes make “2 Sugar” essentially the most lyrically complicated music on the album.
Courtesy of Starboy/RCA Data.
After “2 Sugar” is “On a regular basis.” This monitor is kind of bland in comparison with the earlier ones and runs a bit too lengthy. After the spectacular first few tracks, most of the following songs are a bit disappointing. WizKid’s vocals and lyrics differ little or no all through the remainder of the challenge, inflicting a lot of the album’s latter half to develop previous upon a number of relistens. Nevertheless, the beats proceed to infuse the tracks with vitality, regardless of the artist’s redundant performances.
“Wow” is a gem on the latter half of the album, with options from British rapper Skepta and Nigerian artist Naira Marley. The beat offers this music a quick and aggressive vitality, which Marley embodies completely on the refrain. Skepta and WizKid every ship a fantastic verse, however it’s Marley who actually carries this monitor.
“Flower Pads” stands out as being exceptionally nicely engineered. WizKid’s lowkey vocals float atop the beat whereas guitar and keyboard spice issues up within the background. “Stress” additionally boasts refined, assorted background instrumentation that provides a lot to the music. The funky and superior rhythm meshes nicely with one other one in every of WizKid’s catchy choruses.
Although the engineering and groovy dance-hall beats are current, the idea of “Extra Love, Much less Ego” fails to return by way of. “Extra Love” actually comes throughout as “Extra Lust” with virtually each music addressing bodily want. “Much less Ego” is just not actually explored in any respect. The one time the phrase “Extra Love, Much less Ego” feels related is within the spoken intro of “On a regular basis” that clearly impressed the title of the album.
Regardless of this missed alternative, the album is a enjoyable and worthwhile pay attention that may trigger you to desperately seek for the closest dance flooring. WizKid has once more succeeded with a collection of catchy tunes which can be enjoyable independently or throughout the run of the album. So subsequent time you’re at a dance occasion, request WizKid’s “Extra Love, Much less Ego.”
