Album Review: Waje – Word Aren’t Just Enough
posted by @iamadey May 22, 2013
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Waje’s highly anticipated album, Word Aren’t Just Enough was finally
released amidst super excitement from fans. Saying the album was highly
anticipated is a bit of an understatement as it’s been an album long
overdue.
They say it’s not how long but how well, so the most important thing
was that Waje actually delivered an album that was quality. We’ll take a
journey into discovering why really, Word Aren’t Just Enough.
Analysis:
The album kicks off with one of the lead singles of the album,
Oko Mi. The track produced by
Del B
is already a fan favorite and one that is getting its fair play at
weddings all over. The song even though per-released sets the tone for
the album that will delve into love, hurt, independence, joy, hustling,
and just a range of general life issues – All in a very pop-ish and
exciting way.
Next up is the duet with
Tiwa Savage that definitely
raised eye brows when we saw the track list. You mean 2 of the finest
voices in Nigeria will get on a track together? Even though
Onye
didn’t hit the high level of expectations I had, it was still one that I
enjoyed and could be a stellar success with the right push. A song that
will also need some push is the next track in line,
Ijeoma.
A house music vibe with Igbo high-life lacing, it has the feel of
something you’d be vibing to in the club, but as a stand-alone track on
an average day it can get a bit monotonous.
Waje is at her finest when she brings some energy and excitement to her music, and that is exactly what she does on
Fine Girl. The song is so catchy that even me (as a guy) started singing “
I’m a fine girl, noni.” Yea, I know
. The journey of the song hits on independence and girl power in a way
that’s very attractive, and catchy. On a similar P, Waje rubs with the
rough on the next track,
Grind with features Burna Boy.
Leriq did his thing on the beat, and
Burna Boy did exactly what he was supposed to do – provide an edge. A decent track by all standards.
Waje wasn’t about let go of the money-making theme quickly as the next track,
Time Na Money,
stays in line. Time Na Money shows Waje drive seriously into the
hip-hop world, and scraps the line between RnB & Hip-Hop. A very
impressive feat for the singer that is primarily known for her vocal
powers.
Taking a different direction, the album goes into what we are used to hearing from Waje.
I Wish
is also one of the lead singles of the album, and enjoyed a lot of
radio play for its infectious and lovable soft reggae beat. From a
reggae vibe to a vintage feel, we get into what we’ve known Waje for
these past couple of years.
No Be You rivals
One Naira
in terms of Waje exercising those vocal cords. It’s simply wonderful
from the songstress, and one that could easily be a classic years later.
Speaking of classics, a classic maker,
Cohbams Asuquo joins Waje via productions to bring the next track
Black & White featuring
Eva & Phyno.
Eva & Phyno interestingly complement each other very well, and
seeing a track from both of them wont be a bad idea. Black & White
is pretty decent and a track that does well when listening to the album.
You saw this coming right? After combining to bring one of the biggest hits of the past 5 years,
MI & Waje team up again to provide their fans with this love track,
Only You.
It’s hard to recreate that magic again, but this is pretty damn close. A
very lovable song that will feature on a lot of weddings, the track
lets us know that Waje & MI work very well together. A song that has
already been featured in many weddings is the original version of
Na The Way which features J-Martins &
Sarkodie. Throwing Sarkodie on any remix can only do good to the track, and that’s exactly what happened here.
Heading towards the tail end of the album, we get the track
Tomorrow,
which for some reason just doesn’t hit it on all cylinders. The attempt
is to have a very happy, pop track, but it almost seemed a bit forced.
However it could make for a very good theme song for a TV show or a
commercial. Now the next track,
One More Time, is a
much better attempt at getting a joint with a club feel. A little bit
David Guetta-ish, the song brings a nice close to what has been for the
most part a very pleasurable album listening experience.
Conclusion:
It’s never been a doubt that Waje had the talents, but whether or not
she could deliver a stellar album was up in the air. With this album,
you can say Waje delivered on a very high level, and one that will
surely send fear shots to her competitors. With the exception of a few
hiccups here and there on the album, Waje has proven to herself and to
others that even if she is not the Queen Of African Soul, she’s pretty
damn close to it.
Kudos!
