Oxlade Eclipse Review: Should have borrowed us two more songs
Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman whose stage name is Oxlade is one of the big revelations of Nigerian music in 2020. Sharing the year of breakthrough with Omah Lay and Bella Shmurda, was a something really tasking. This is because the aforementioned artists are very talented musicians, it shows the class to which Oxlade belongs. Although he released an LP last year, it did not gain much recognition because he was still being introduced into the musical space. But with the new EP, there is a really good chance for him to cover better ground than he did with his Oxygene Album of 2020.
Eclipse is a body of work which is kind of sensual because of the attachment that one can have as a result of a consistent listen. The reason for the line of thought pattern is because, to a first listener, the person might vibe to the songs but with time his or her interest may dies off.
Never get it wrong, the creativity which Oxlade and multiple hit producer- DJ Coublon put into the production of this project is really nice. Especially in their ability to creating genuine Nigerian Afrobeats and ponpon sound. However the songs on the album would have made more impact if it was a six to seven track EP rather than just four track. What this shortness of playlist does is that if you are a repeat listener, you tend to listen to same songs over and over again in a short period of time. Thus making it boring to listen to over a period of time. Oxlade should have just borrowed us two more songs.
POSSIBLE HITS OR FLOPS
“Pay Me” is a song which people will vibe to and chorus to because of its really dope delivery. The chorus which is taken by a multiplied, reverbed and phased oxlade voice is just epic. It was the first song on the album that got me dancing. Another song that could become a hit is “Ojuju”. The song which has element of konto is also is a simple sing along song and can be vibe to by many.
THE PRODUCTION
DJ Coublon is not a baby in the production of hit songs. Respect has to be given to him for being the reason for Kizz Daniel’s success. He understands the Nigerian sounds which are basically Afrobeats, Alternate sound and ponpon beats.
However what strikes me more in this project is his ability in chorus coordination. Big ups has to be given to Oxlade for his vocal delivery but it takes a good music producer/sound Engineer to understand the texture of a vocalist’s voice and how to best harness it. His vocal work on “Pay Me” is really dope. The way he makes Oxlade vocal the song like a padre from one of the basilicas in Rome got me on first listen. The chorus coordination and adequate filtering and equalizing is some masterful mastering and total sound engineering.
THE THEME
Oxlade is one of many musician in Nigeria that their music is based on love stories. This EP is not different as he sings about different love situations from different angles. For example in “Ojuju” he sings from the perspective of a man who have experienced a lot of heart breaks. Metaphorically speaking like a small child who is scared of Masquerade (Ojuju); he declares that he is scared of falling of Love. According to him he does not understand how people who fall in love does it because it seems not to be working for him. He sings about being afraid of crying and feeling emotional from the possible heart break that love brings. He exclaims and states that he is fed-up with falling in love again.
“Pay me” is song that has oxlade sing from the perspective of a man who has weighed the pros and cons of breaking the heart of his lover. According to him, putting his love and wild interest in a balance and have come to a conclusion that keeping his relationship is more profitable than being a wild jolly and adventure seeking man. According to him, it profits him nothing to break his lover’s heart because he does not want to loose what they share together.
“Incomplete” is song that talks about a Casanova who has fallen for one lady and is finding it hard to adjust to the lady. Where the story gets interesting is the fact that he cheats on this “one lady” and the lady cuts the chain on him. In a bid to save his relationship, he calls on the public to come and help him plead with this unique lady of his.
Finally “More” is a song that he uses to express his threshold of tolerance for his lover. According to him the love he has for his lover is so intense that there is nothing in this world that that will make him get offended in her actions.
