a feast of affection, life and lust

Burna Boy’s eight album, No Signal of Weak spot is a genre-shifting, thematically uneven but sonically spectacular feast of life, love and lust with ample helpings of rage, anger and braggadocio.

Let’s deal with the bragging for a minute.

Why does one of many largest African musical artistes of the previous decade really feel the compelling want to claim and re-assert his greatness? On previous albums, Burna Boy has topped himself an African Big who’s Twice as Tall but listening to the opener “No Panic”, in addition to “No Signal of Weak spot”, “Dem Dey” and “Kabiyesi” and even “Empty Chairs” one is struck by his fixed obsession with greatness and supposed haters.

On “Dem Dey”, he sings “in the event you really feel say I pompous/go to the bridge and soar off,” and on tracks prior he had plied the identical trajectory on the eponymous “No Signal of Weak spot” even going so far as to checkmate his haters by embracing the darkish aspect with two filmic allusions to Nollywood and Hollywood with references to rituals in “Kanayo Kanayo sacrifice all of you” and darkish magic with “Like Harry Potter you might be in Dumbledore’s home.”

Is Burna Boy an artiste who will do something to remain on high regardless of cresting Africa’s musical stratosphere after blasting off On A Spaceship? What occurs when the hits cease coming or followers’ style and allegiances shift as typically occurs within the fickle world of music?

Neglect his boast that “that is testimony of a born winner.” If that’s true, then why the fixed references to haters and enemies?

A psychological exegesis of Burna Boy’s paranoia could be value exploring.

A genre-shifting feast

On a sonic degree, the album returns, in moments to the early Burna Boy dancehall-inflected sounds from his collaborations together with his first producer Leriq earlier than diverging to embrace entice with Travis Scott, Afrobeats and Nation with Shaboozey, Rock and Afropop with Mick Jagger, highlife on “Purchase You Life”, reggae and lovers rock on “Candy Love” and extra with Stromae.

The enjoyment of this sonic smogarsbord is tainted by the obsession which distracts listeners from the reflective and sober activates the album. The highlife inflected “Purchase You Life” is a standout monitor as is “Pardon” with Stromae.

Life and its vicissitudes are the primary deal with songs just like the beforehand talked about “Purchase You Life” and even “Love” the place Burna Boy displays considerably on the golden rule however these reflective and life affirming songs are haunted by the ghosts of haters.

Love and shades of vulnerability permeate songs like “Change Your Thoughts”, “Pardon”, and “Candy Love” which is paying homage to Gregory Isaac’s Lovers’ Rock. Whereas “28 Grams”, a paean to marijuana is, on the floor, a touch upon Burna Boy’s love for getting excessive and a few recommendation to decide on herbs over artificial medication, it’s at coronary heart a love track like “Mary Jane” by Rick James or Bob Marley’s “Kaya.”

“I no match love you want I really like marijuana,” Damini Ogulu confesses.

“Tatata”, “Comme Gimme” and “Pardon” are cast within the smithy of lust and sexual want with Burna Boy evincing a romantic aspect albeit couched within the language of debauchery. On “Tatata” Burna Boy namechecks the Equitorial Guinean, Baltasar Egonga.

There’s nostalgia aplenty on No Indicators of Weak spot from the Soul II Soul pattern firstly of “Replace” and the chorus from Lagbaja’s “No do gra-gra from me.” These are two tracks that might entice older listeners.

“Change Your Thoughts” with the wave-making Shaboozey is the distinctive monitor on the album with its evocative lyrics and head bobbing rhythm but it surely ends a bit too quickly at a mere 2.14 minutes.

No “Signal of Weak spot” is an pleasurable sonic tour however an uneven providing from the African Big whose concern of failure, insistent glances within the rear view mirror and deal with haters could be his Achilles heel.