Day: January 17, 2022

Fiokee “Man” Album Review

When you hear the name “Fiokee“, you must have seen the credits he was given on albums like Flavour’s “Thankful“, Simi’s “Simisola“, songs like Yemi Alade’s “Ferrari“, Kizz Daniel’s “Woju“, and Patoranking’s “God over everything“.

This is because he’s one of the best Nigerian guitarists, and in fact one of the best guitarist in the world.

This is what he tries to prove on his “man” album

Therefore it is not surprising that after gaining experience in the Nigerian music Industry, fiokee is out with his debut album titled “Man”

When you see the album cover, and of course the tracklist you see that man is Incorporated with a number of collaborations with popular names in the music industry.

We have features with Yemi Alade, Gyakie, Simi, Oxlade, Guchi, The Cavemen, Peruzzi, Ric Hassani, Sefa, Vector, Klem, Chike, Bella Shmurda, Lirical, Masterkraft, T.classic, Layydoe, D-black, Jean&Alex, Kelvyn boy, Nelson Freytas, Nosa and Ada-ehi.

You see these many collaborations and you know that it’s about to get lit. This is because this musical artist are very talented and have gone on to establish themselves in the music industry.

Fiokee “Man” album Review

1)“Good Time” ft T.classic and Jean& Alex

First, it is important to note that experience has afforded Fiokee an undeniable amount of expertise. This song opens with Fiokee singing like a pro, dishing out commendable lyrics while stringing amazing tunes with his guitar.

Although it would have been better if this song did not open the album as it doesn’t have the status of an album opener, but Jean and Alex come in immediately to spawn so much romantic lyrics in Spanish.

Of course, we can’t interpret it, we don’t care but allow ourself to get carried away in the sound.

That’s the thing about music, it doesn’t matter if we don’t understand the language, what matters is how the sound is able to relate to us.

Asides this, we get some nice feel about “Man” album. “Good time” might not be the perfect album opener, but it sets an acceptable tune for Fiokee’s “Man” album

2) “Smooth Operator” ft Nelson Freitas and Masterkraft

“Smooth Operator” is a classic afrobeat song! And the guitar strings are so on point! The percussion is so hotttt. It follows the story of a girl who knows how to deceive men after making them fall head over heels in love with her.

“Smooth Operator” is such a nice song. It has an R&B vibe but it doesn’t subtract an ounce of afrobeat from it. Kudos on the song engineering too.

The song is short enough to permit its reply value and protect the fact that it’s not entirely lyric- embedded. Smart.

So far, on Fiokee’s “Man” album, there is a great influence of dance Hall and this makes the album enjoyable to some extent.

3) Personal ft Bella Shmurda

“Personal” was released as a single ahead of Fiokee’s “Man” album.
It didn’t help that Fiokee devoted most of this song to Bella Shmurda. We know Bella Shmurda is an established artist, but giving him almost all the verses on this song, and making it a single is a far shot from trying to make it a hit song.

The song is not bad, but it’s also not entirely unique. It talks about how people should not take things personally because other people act or do certain things. At best, such interpretations should be left to an assumption that it is love.

“Personal” is an okay song, but it shouldn’t have come third on this album considering the pattern set by “Good time” and “Smooth operator“. It should have been pushed further down “Man” album, towards the end.

4) “I cannot” ft Yemi Alade

“I cannot” is not the best love song on this album, because the lyrics are not entirely unique and it is too unpolished, it has a lot of excesses which should have been removed to make the song a good enough listen.

Read: How “Love Nwantiti” became popular

Although it is a nice love song and the beats are so on point, it would have helped if Fiokee actually assisted Yemi Alade on the track seeing that the lyrics were not enough to sustain the song.

Let’s take a few seconds to appreciate Yemi Alade’s vocals and passionate delivery on the song though, it covers for most of the song’s flaws.

5) “Follow you” ft Chike and Gyakie

Lyrics

My beautiful baby
Come closer, gimme your ears
I wan tell you something (something, something)
Wan tell you something (something, something)

You mean a lot to me
And because I have you girl
I know that I’m winning
I know that I’m winning

You are driving me crazy
And I’m loving you daily, oh my love
Never letting you go anywhere
That you go I’ll follow you

Baby, know that I’m not crazy
You know that I’m not lazy, lazy
Baby, know that I’m not crazy
You know that I’m not lazy
Running after you, uh uh

I will follow you
Anywhere you want to go
I will let the whole world know
That I’m in love with you
I will follow you
Anywhere you want to go
I will let the whole world know
That I’m in love with you (That I’m in love with you)

Work that thing o na na
Treat me like your one true lover
There’s nothing wey go make me leave you
Nobody wey love me reach you
The way you pamper me, I like (pamper me, I like)
You keep my dreams alive (uh uh uh)
Never never never never never
Will I ever let you slide

Oh baby, my baby
There is something that you need to know
I’m in love with you you you, yeah
Oh baby, my baby
There is something that you need to know
I’m in love with you, yeah

Baby, know that I’m not crazy
You know that I’m not lazy, lazy
Baby, know that I’m not crazy
You know that I’m not lazy (no, no, no)

I will follow you
Anywhere you want to go
I will let the whole world know
That I’m in love with you
I will follow you
Anywhere you want to go
I will let the whole world know
That I’m in love with you
That I’m in love with you

(Oh my God, it’s FIOKEE)

Of course, the song should have been opened by Chike, and it was! Such beautiful voice and lyrics. The amazing thing is how Chike is able to make common love song lyrics sound so unique.

When he sings it, it sounds like you’ve never heard it before. He has so much subtle convincing delivery on this song and it makes it a hit.

Give it up for Gyakie! She’s such a brilliant artist! She makes this song a perfect listen. Her lyrics are even stronger and more intoxicating than Chike’s and her delivery sounds like it’s embedded with some subdued but gradually rising passion.

So far, “Follow you” is the best song on Fiokee’s “Man” album.

6) “Number one” ft Guchi and Kelvyn Boy

Guchi might have just had her biggest hit moments ago, but this song shows that she has been working on herself continually.

Although “Number one” has a low amount of dancehall in comparison to other songs on this album, she did her best to hold it down on this album that we won’t notice if she’s the only artist featured on the song.

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Never listened to Kelvyn Boy but he’s an amazing singer giving some Wizkid-lyrics vibe. “Number one” is a wonderful song and the strings make it a pleasant listen. If anything, the flaws are very little and are almost unnoticeable.

7)“Be a man” Ft Ric Hassani and Klem

Lyrics

Uhh uhhh uhhh
That I don’t call you like before, doesn’t mean that I don’t love you
That I don’t show up like before, doesn’t mean that I don’t care
I just want a good life for you and my unborn child
That’s why I have been working my a** out
But is taking my time
I don’t even have time for myself

And I’m going buck wild
I don’t care as long as you are the one I dey do am for
Just need you girl to understand that I
I’m just tryna be a man
I’m just tryna be a man (a man)
I’m just tryna be a man (a man ooh ah)

That man that you want (man that you want)
Shawty no dey bother
No dey cutu liver
This brother gat you
Everly your lover
Say I no live you never

Me no fiti jonze
Make you just give me some time
I go make it up to you when things don set
You wan see me all the time
E no possible understand that hustle, is taking my time
I don’t even have time for myself

I’m going buck wild
But I don’t care as long as you are the one I dey do am for
Just need you girl to understand that I
I’m just tryna be a man (a man, uh uh yeah)
I’m just tryna be a man
I’m just tryna be a man (a man ooh ah)

That man that you want (man that you want)
My baby
Me and you know that you are my sweetie
Tell me anything that you want baby
I just wanna make you proud of me
Baby girl you know you are my shawty
Take my money and my body
I chop anything wey you give to me
Me and you be making history ooooh

We finally get a listen to one of the reasons behind this album. “Be a man” is a song that pushes men to take responsibility for the things they commit to, especially relationships.

Specifically, this song focuses on a young man and his fiancee who has a child for him.

Although the song tries to encourage men that their responsibilities should always be tended to. It points out that men are really doing a lot to make their family happy and financially stable. Therefore the chorus:

“I’m just trynna be a man”

Men are also under some amount of pressure to make their family proud of them and to attain the height their spouse has set for them. They say:

“I just want you to be proud of me”

8) “You bad” ft Perruzi and Layydoe

Now we get the dancehall influence back. Although this album drifts back and forth, it gives it a dynamic view even though it’s hard to put a finger on the album type.

This song is fire because of the way Layydoe plays with the lyrics in a crazy manner! She makes it so flexible. She sets an amazing tune for the theme of “You bad”

Read: Nigerian artists with highest monthly listeners on spotify (January 2022)

Peruzzi doesn’t disappoint too, he makes the song land and catches the Lyric form as Layydoe drops it hot.

So much credit to Layydoe for making this song a hit, and to mention that it’s short enough to make it memorable. It has a catchy line of

“Baby you bad o…omo you bad o”.

9) “Kelewa” ft Umu Ogbiligbo

“Kelewa” is an okay song. Especially in very traditional settings, it has so much vibe and drums that sends you several warnings but not entirely stern advice about being careful in life and the choices and adventures we make, as well as our decisions.

“Kelewa” didn’t really start well and it made this writer think it should not have made the album, but it’s still okay considering that Fiokee’s “Man” has 40% reggae influence.

10) “Nne” ft The Cavemen

Welcome to the cave. “Nne” is a normal “The Cavemen” song, but it would have helped if it had some different lyrics that actually suited “Nne“.

Although Igbo was spoken in it very well, it didn’t sound fresh enough. It sounds like you’ve heard it as many times before. Nice work on the guitar though.

11) “Forever” ft Maua Sama and Lirical

“Forever” has a 90% dancehall influence which makes it show that it should have been pushed up to follow the pattern of the dancehall influence established at the beginning of the song.

Lirical is a versatile artist, she switched between English and her language like it should be that easy. She makes the song so intoxicating and relaxing for us. She stirs up imaginations with her far-reaching lyrics.

Lirical and Maua Sama deliver on this song, kudos to them!.

12) “Koni Koni” Ft Simi and Oxlade

One of the most expected songs on this album. Well, we all know it’s because of the features on the song.

It was amazing that Simi started this song, but this is not Simi’s best on a song. Probably because it was what she was told to sing.

Still, the song would have been better with some relatable lyrics. Oxlade did a lot on his verse, to make the song nice enough. The song arrangement of “Koni Koni” leaves so much to be desired. It made the song sound mixed up, like it was not entirely finished.

13) “Dance” ft D-black, Sefa and Vector

Once this song begins, you know you ‘bout to dance. But it should not have been opened by the artist that opened it. The second artist that versed this song should have opened this song.

The song opening contained some unneeded explicit lyrics that made “Dance” sound offensive rather than mature.

14) “Goodness and mercy” ft Nosa and Ada Ehi

It’s amazing that two gospel artists are closing this album based on the theme of the song. Although the last track title is predictable, it’s not surprising as a lot of Nigerian artists close their album thanking God.

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Ada Ehi delivers passionately on this album. She makes the song complete, and she should have been featured only on this song because she takes it head-on more and gives it a sense of finality.

Fiokee’s “Man” is experimental, but it’s relatable. It has relatable themes and has some interesting features. However, the flaws were obvious, but this has nothing to do with the fact that “Man” is Fiokee’s debut album. The song arranging and track listing could have been worked on to ensure an equitable balance of soul, dancehall and reggae.

Trying to intersperse the song one by one made it hard to lay a finger on the journey the album was taking us to. The track listing would have helped well in showing us the versatility of the album.

Also, It’s not entirely nice that we don’t get to hear Fiokee on most of the songs. In fact, we only hear him on a few songs and then it seemed like he took a spot backstage stringing the guitar. Fiokee did well on the songs he featured on, and involving himself on other songs would have exalted the replay value of “Man”

Songwriting:½
Replay value: ½
Mixing/producing: 1.3/2
Enjoyability/Satisfaction: 1.4/2
Delivery: 1.3/2
Total: 6/10

Click here to listen to Fiokee’s “man” album

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