Burna Boy "I Told Them" Album Review: Hits and Misses

Burna Boy I Told Them Album Review

Burna boy has released his seventh studio album titled “I told Them”. Here is “I Told Them” review by The Scoove Africa

Burna Boy I Told Them Album Review: Hits and Misses

Hits

Sonic Production
High Relatability

Misses

Lack of cohesion

“I Told Them” ft GZA is a track that boasts of Burna boy’s status in the industry and how he has defied the odds by becoming the greatest even when others said he would not amount to anything.

While it is incredible that this is the title track and also the opening track, I Told Them sounds like it was made more from a position of proving that Burna boy is the only one that deserves to be recognised and called the great and others are just small. Apart from the fact that the song sounds aggressive in some parts, it is actually a nice record.

It might not get enough attention off the album, but it is definitely solid. Despite the interpolation of the game sounds and the words spoken at the end, I Told Them ends in an underwhelming way and doesn’t actually have that effect Burna Boy thought it would have on us.

“Normal” sounds more like the track that would become a hit on this album. “Normal” is the dancehall type beat that Burna boy excels at, and it is even reminiscent of Burna’s “Anybody”, although the sound and production is different, the theme is the same and “Normal” has an incredible replay value. It’s a really nice listen

“On Form” has more production intentionality than “Normal. “On Form” will resonate more with listeners that love sonic records. One thing that Burna boy will never miss out on his album, is the opportunity to refashion Fela’s sound in the most modern, yet traditional way possible.

Burna Boy I Told Them Album revuew

The instrumentation on “On form” is what makes the song standout and makes us hooked on it. Also, Burna boy’s delivery on this song is so smooth and that was exactly what was needed. Also, the chorus is highly catchy and memorable. “On Form” achieves what “I Told Them” could not, in terms of describing Burna Boy’s great status.

“Tested, Approved and trusted” is a skippable-track. Yes, it sees Burna Boy making an R&B record that centers on the adulation of the female body- on this case, that of his babe, and describing the intended intimacy he wants to have with her. While he tries to excel with the hook of the song, the song’s trite lyrics makes the song not as deep as expected.

But then we begin to think that maybe that is the purpose exactly. Since it’s a romantic song, Burna Boy might just have intended to make it as simple and cliche as possible, with some nods to the production and hook.

The spoken word at the beginning of “Virgil” is applauding. Artists have tried over time to record just words on a song but listeners always skip them because they are just not as deep as the singers wanted them to be.

I Told Them Album review shows that Virgil is actually a really good track in terms of its description of human’s indelible and unexplainable connection to music that weaves into our conscience.

“Dey Play” is Burna boy’s attempt to record another song that addresses the socio-economic conditions of Nigeria and people’s relationship and reaction to it. “Dey Play” also describes people’s hustle and their aspirations of being great. “Dey Play” is an okay record, but there is nothing entirely outstanding about it.

On “Giza” ft Seyi Vibez, we’re trying to grasp what exactly Seyi Vibez is saying at the beginning, as usual.

There is nothing that makes this track one that should have made the album, at least until Burna boy made his verse on the song. Asake would have excelled on this track way better. But the artists’s choice matters right? Well maybe not on this track.

“12 Jewels” ft RZA states the 12 major things we humans should aspire for. These twelve things, at least some of them, stick with us at the end of the track and makes us want to play that track again.

“If I’m lying” is a song of comfort to those who have had their hearts broken. Another thing about Burna Boy is his attempt to make songs that comfort others on his album. A song that you could listen to if you feel sad or heartbroken. He did the same thing on Love, Damini, on the song “How bad can t be?”

“Thanks” ft J Cole is a song that describes how much Burna boy think he is under appreciated or underrated in Nigeria despite everything he has done in contributing to the development of Afrobeats, and but even creating another genre- “AfroFusion”.

Apart from being under appreciated, Burna boy feels like people slander his name all the time in Nigeria and this makes him feel like his own people are turning on him. Thanks is an heart pouring record that describes the wa people spread many roomers that are not true at all about him, making him sound like the bad guy.

I Told Them Album review

Burna Boy is a great artist, no doubt, and I Told Them is more confirmation of that. While “I Told Them” sounds sonically impressive and more like a body of work, it doesn’t have the sense of cohesiveness that accompanies Burna Boy’s works, e.g Love, Damini or African Giant.

I Told Them Album review shows that It sounds more like I Told Them is a response to fans and what they think of him. In this attempt, Burna Boy shifts from being just an artist to being a commentator on his on life and his artistry which is not a bad thing, but rips off some things that could have made the songs sounded much better than they did.

True, there are several tracks on the album that sound quite good and deserve numerous repeats. But, I Told Them lacks the depth found in most of other Burna Boy’s album.