Niniola’s ‘Colours and Sounds’ sees music play second fiddle to branding [Album Review]

Her debut album, This Is Me was critically acclaimed because it was nominated a number of occasions on the 2018 Headies. Whereas she later ‘thanked us for the arrange,’ she continued to rise and earned the nickname, ‘Queen of Afro-house.’ Her music discovered its method to worldwide acts and DJs like Black Espresso, DJ Snake, Diplo and Timbaland.

‘Maradona’ and ‘Sicker’ gained continental reputation and the girl gained hearts and souls. As she acquired extra widespread, her stage performances acquired higher, however she struggled to interrupt freed from that ‘Queen of Afro-Home’ model/tag. Over the previous two years, her music has given off an aura that Niniola needs to remain true to that id and model.

Her newest album, Colors and Sounds charts that course as soon as once more. As its title suggests, it appears Niniola merely needs this album to replicate all the perimeters and subgenres of African Home music together with her artistry on the epicentre of all of it.

On one hand, it’s a good move. In a world the place everyone merely needs to create ‘ideas’ and ‘conceptual’ albums as a substitute of merely making music, this simplicity is laudable.

Asides from that, African music is changing into an exportable commodity and is forming a core a part of the worldwide sonic zeitgeist. It then turns into vital for artists to have an id and a model that speaks to the soul of their craft. Niniola is attempting to remain true to hers whereas exploring all the opposite sides of that model to current a rounded, compact and multifaceted African Home music.

She achieves that. Colors and Sounds is constructed on Afro-Home, Afro-pop, Kwaito, Gqom, Amapiano and Doomba. Nevertheless, the issue is that in Niniola’s bid for id, she didn’t steadiness the music with a singular spark. Other than the singles on Colours and Sounds, it’s very exhausting to discover a genuinely wonderful track that really sticks.

Whereas the songs on this album are constructed on spectacular bits of manufacturing and Niniola delivered like a professional, resonance is missing. Niniola isn’t as sizzling as she as soon as was and that is perhaps taking part in a job in judgement, however that’s the identical cause why the music wanted to really resonate and it didn’t.

It additionally looks as if Niniola’s bid for id has resulted in a problematic sonic pigeonhole for her. Within the opening 20 minutes of this album, we had three Amapiano songs – ‘Addicted,’ ‘Look Like Me’ and ‘Oh Sharp.’ Whereas the sound has been stylish, it’s not precisely damaged by way of in Nigeria – besides Rema’s ‘Girl.’

In a Nigerian soundscape that’s getting more and more unpredictable, contemporary sounds are too dangerous – even once they’re stylish like Amapiano. The result’s that Niniola went for model and development over high quality of music. Her main fan base continues to be in Nigeria, despite the fact that she has some stans in different components of Africa.

The results of Colours and Sounds is that a big part of her Nigerian fan base will wrestle to narrate to this music. Whereas the variety is sweet for Niniola’s branding and it’ll seemingly serve her properly from a world optics perspective, it doesn’t bode properly for her fading standing as a Nigerian famous person. You possibly can’t lose the house entrance whereas attempting to chase the away entrance.

However in equity, Colours and Sounds isn’t as remotely unhealthy as some persons are making it out to be. They’ve equated their lack of relatability to Niniola’s model of music on this album to failure and that’s not the case.

Loads of Nigerians will say a track like ‘Look Like Me’ is a horrible track, however the fact is that it’s not – they simply can’t relate. This beat and repetitive, looped vocal supply is commonplace in South African Home music.

Equally, ‘Evening and Day’ that includes Nonso Amadi, ‘Harmless,’ ‘So Critical’ and the Timbaland-produced ‘Hearth’ are nonetheless good songs – albeit largely missing excellence.

A few of that unhealthy reception is because of Niniola’s lack of a poisonous stan-base that drives sure factors residence. Nigeria has seen some horrible albums elevated to otherworldly ranges this yr and we’ll see extra. This album isn’t within the league of horrible albums, it simply lacks a defining think about a pool of median music with a typical denominator for dance.

Timbaland produced two songs on this album. If this occurred to different artists with higher PR, they might blow it out of proportion and use it to gloss over the precise high quality of their music. That stated, it’s not precisely affordable that half of this album has already been launched as singles. Niniola’s songwriting additionally took an enormous hit on sure songs.

However when all is alleged and accomplished, it appears Niniola is coping with doubts – like all creatives. With all that expertise, all she wants is to easily go and make the music she believes in, not one which conforms to her ‘model’ or one that can make her appear forward-thinking.

In the long run, ‘Colors and Sounds‘ appears like serving a fairly trying, gourmet-esque costly plate of spiceless [lacking atarodo] noodles to a Yoruba man. Niniola additionally wants successful, however this album isn’t poor. Commendably, this album unfolds brilliantly – its album sequencing is wonderful.

Rankings: /10

• Zero-1.9: Flop

• 2.Zero-Three.9: Close to fall

• four.Zero-5.9: Common

• 6.Zero-7.9: Victory

• eight.Zero-10: Champion

Pulse Ranking: /10

Tracklist: 1.7/2

Substance and Supply: 1.1/2

Manufacturing: 1.four/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.2/2

Execution: 1.Zero/2

Complete:

6.four – Victory