The magic begins when the acoustic twangy guitar notes makes its way through to your soul permitting the pores on your skin give way for the hair to stand on ends, you call it goosebumps we call it feeling the rhythm and melody soul and body. The Intro already invites the listener to know what they are getting into an all African sound and having a brief knowledge of the artist’s trajectory. This is one those artists who have found their sound and is consistent on it with a voice that isn’t scared to pierce the veil while paying attention to the commercial appeal and working towards exporting mainstream.
Are you a lover? How do you show love? How do you even go about defining love when you are stocked in mere words without actions to back it up? Putting me in a LOVER’S DILEMMA Yeah? The funky instrumentation which has on its back-guitar notes and constant tam tam resounding effortlessly as the artist invites you into her LOVE WORLD recounting her experiences.
It’s a lover’s dilemma, do you love regardless or do you seek for actions to the words Oh! AFFAIRE D’AMOUR how you found yourself swirled by the country side melodies of drums, guitar and the whistling ignites this feeling of the amazon and outdoor vast landscape vibe. Love affair makes you obviously wonder far and wide, the artist doesn’t wait for you to savor the melodies as she dives right into dishing out the advice she has for lovers in French Language proving her versatility and flexibility in embracing two communities, the sound you would play when going I the wild for an adventure of when hearts are beating each to each on freshly shave green growth for a picnic.
NA MALA is just one of the unique Makossa vibes with heavy influence of Salsa instruments, here the bass guitar blends with a faint sound of the piano, the lyrics are even deeper that the instrumentation put together, stressing on the importance of what you have, all about value and remaining true to what you love regardless of the pressures life offers to. We are swept off our feet as the music fades away with African chants of high-pitched vocals.
When you value what you have as NA MALA says the outside world would obviously see that as DU JAMAIS, yet another sound with heavy Makossa influence, full employment of the drums and strings bass guitar, then at one point there’s this persistent but low key sound of what appears to be the echoing sound of an empty calabash. One thing about the artist creative direction is she has a great mastery of Love and romantic songs; one might think the inspiration is borne out of experiences as it seems not to be running out of ideas. A great deal of the songs in her discography are centered around the theme of Love and the Afrocentric romance.
We are diving into the core of the BLACK GIRL MAGIC the artist goes hard on the sling back beats with Wimbum mother tongue and pidgin English in dominance which makes it relatable and original. The sound here actually reflects a bit of the Mexican – Latino trumpeting and fluting but ever sounding and Spanish guitar.
When you experience true love everyday seems like a whole new day to fall in love once again and not having to look at yesterday, AMA FALLING and ama keep falling in love every time, the sound slightly drifts away from the makossa vibe as it embraces a more danceable and livelier tune. More like a lover unite anthem meant to rekindle fading love and resurface pleasant memories. The song has this unique vibe that would always want you going for more even when it has elapsed. Her voice with that of her brother MUSS blends in harmony for full ecstasy.
Anyways when love hits you hard and you are falling in love all over again, give in and JUST DO YOU the vibe around this tune has this rock star RnB heavy metallic instrumentation. This is you actually remaining steadfast to what you believe in irrespective of what the outside world says or thinks. It conveys a message of Believing in Yourself reason its heavy in delivery and beats to stress on the authoritative aspect.
When you LOVE A PLAYER be ready for the aftermath once again the artist migrates to the love arena as she invites Africa’s hardest femcee Askia drop some hardcore verses. The kind of sound you come across in the movies, movies that paints the theme of revenge, regret, pain and endurance. ASKIA actually empties her pain in the lyrics and projects her real-life experiences evidently revealed in her tone and choice of words, this cuts across realities of the 21st century relationships where infidelity is topping the ante.
Yeah, the TO LOVE A PLAYER is to sacrifice your body but hold up! WETI PERSON DO? How she switches up the pitch brings chills down your spine the transition to “Person go die ooo oohhh” deep connotation stresses on the magnitude of the message conveyed. You actually feel it deep, like a cold dagger put around your throat. Before we even get enough of the lyrics Cleo Grae jumps in and spits fire verses the free-flowing story telling rap that can suit any kind of beat. Its all about love, love, love.
CONTROLLER yet another love song, seems like the artist wants us to understand she seemingly runs mad when it comes to love, a cross section of the tracks on this body of work rest on the THEME of love. The song is a very danceable one, has this club type of vibe or mostly consumed on extreme loud volume and in best consumed in public gatherings.
AFFAIR D’AMOUR resurfaces but this time around with an extra energy in the person of LYDOL , as she drops a few slam rap verses because emitting melodies straight out of the vocal cord, the song fades away with a few slam verses and you seemingly feel a little rumba and ndombolo blend- Maybe!
Before you hustle and start living LA VIDA LOCA never forget where you come from, this Afro Jazz and Makossa fusion, wavy and it reminisces the time. Music of the 80s resurfaced with a mélange of present-day instrumentation. The producer exercises his production prowess in bridging the gap between old and new school music and we are privileged to have a taste of relics and antics, for those who have lived both eras it arouses this nostalgic feeling and once again being part of the moment.
IYORI drifts away from the list of love thematic songs as it dives into a more energetic and danceable tune. It’s all about fun inclined and party projecting summer vibe, it introduces a new flavor and more of the invisible extra flair the artist possesses in her honey pot where she keeps Deeping her fingers to bring out the sweetness every time. IYORI oh! Light up your energy tonight!
JOHNNY WAKA is more of the indoor room vibe, the one you would put on your dancing shoes and illuminate the dancefloor. The instrumentation is a fading metallic room tempo because the vocals of the artist seems to have been submerge in the instrumentation making the feeling quite different, more like resounding echoes.
TO LOVE A PLAYER introduces Assiko folkloric sound and blend of Bikutsi, a typical traditional piece of instruments put together and refined, very danceable quite different from the first version however the theme remains same.
TAPSI has the heavy influence of the African drums, gongs and rattle batons, flutes, this one screams AFRICA! The tweeting sounds of jungle birds, the Amazon air breaths through the instrumentation which blends with the dulcet voice of the artist pure to human. This song breaths hope, better days ahead more like the HAKUNA MATATA phrase brought to life delivered in pidgin English and French language.
The album is nothing short of sounds of Africa as it presents a myriad of rhythms and melodies merged into music that suites the soul just like Africa Panacea that seems to be an antidote or ailment for every malice that’s the MAGIC this black girl’s voice and lyrics brings to the body and soul. The Afro Jazz genre lies as the foundation to her artistry while employing Makossa which has been very evident and other sounds peculiar to Cameroon ethnic groups and cultures. The album is still available for consumption on all digital music streaming platforms.