''Morell'' Is a versatile artiste/songwriter and producer who has had successful singles in recent past has finally released his debut album titled ''Musa Jikan Musa'' on the (22nd May, 2017). ''Musa Jikan Musa'' which means: (Musa grandchild of Musa), was released and consist of twelve (13) tracks and it promises to be a joy ride, judging from the track-listing and the great concept of the album art which depict the great culture of the north.
Danna Musu (Intro): The Intro to the album ''Musa Jikan Musa'' kicks off with a bouncy beat and a lively chorus that quickly draws you in, as we see ''Morell'' asks for his music to be played to teach y'all how this is done. And I think its safe to say ''Morell'' is the King of the North as he has also proclaimed in ''Danna Musu (Intro)..''
Safay: Keeping the momentum ''Morell'' follows up with a heartfelt track as he delivers ''Safay'' meaning: (Morning), ''Morell'' explores his vocal abilities with the compliment of his lyrical swerve as he talks about the everyday hustle of an average man coming from the streets who will have to wakeup daily to try to make a living in the world that doesn't give out much of those opportunities but he attributes true success to God and no one else. A classic production by ''Doubz'' adds great value to the song with the amazing sound of the electric guitar accompanied by superb harmonies of ''Morell'' simply making it one of my favourite track if not the best off the album. I would like to see ''Morell'' and his team put out a well thought out visual for this number.
Amala: This track is a typical love song with an obvious dilemma. ''Morell'' converge his roots with his environmental influences which led to his love interest for Funmi and he intelligently uses ''Amala'' ( a local delicacy commonly eaten by the Yoruba speaking part of Nigeria ) to express his love for Funmi against all odds. This is a lovely ballad beautifully executed by ''Morell'' that adds great substance to the entire project and this makes it one of my favourite tracks of the album.
By Your Side Feat. Di'ja: This is a fantastic mix of an R&B and the northern style of music with heavy musical influence from the ''Kontigi'' (this is a one or two stringed lute used mostly in Hausa music) and the lead guitar. This can be a good radio hit if well promoted with a nice visual .
Interlude (Amazing): The ''Interlude (Amazing)''is a good hip hop break from what we have heard so far on this project and ''Morell'' goes experimental with his smooth vocals and lyrical prowess.
Faya: This is an ''Afro-Pop'' number and we see ''Morell'' continue to unveil his musical dexterity in ''Faya'' as this I tip to be a super hit off this album if well promoted. my reason is based on the fact that it has a Nigerian style of production, lyrics and overall formula which can produce a hit effortlessly.
Borno Feat. AP: AP Ushers listeners in with deep poetry while ''Morell'' pays tribute to all the lives that have been lost in his home state ''Borno'' since the event of the ''Boko Haram'' insurgency in 2007. ''Morell'' states his his case that war is never the answer but love for one another. As no war torn zones as he cited in ''Borno'' has anything to show for it. This conscience track is one of the leading singles of the album and it will indeed be an evergreen song as it captures a time of Nigerian's history.
Bed: This is a up-tempo track that is characterised with a typical Naija kind of elements as we see ''Morell'' talk about the guilty pleasure of an average man towards the opposite sex and what the end result should be as the name of the track implies. Not a fan of this record but it is certainly a good fill up for this project.
Aure: Meaning (wedding). It is a love/wedding song which has been a massive hit since its release in 2016... well at least in the Northern part of Nigeria. It is also one of the leading singles off this project with an amazing visual to go with it. ''Aure'' is a lovely wedding song that can rock any wedding party as the song comes on and I must say a very well thought out track by ''Morell'' and a good fill up for the entire project.
Karota: This arguably one of the best track off the ''Musa Jikan Musa'' project as we see ''Morell'' go hard on this hard crunk baseline and he reminds us of the fact that his simply a sick rapper. ''Karota'' is a straight up Hip Hop track with a fusion of both the old school style of rap as well as the new school trap music laced on the hook, which made it such a likeable song.
Part of Me: Like I earlier introduced ''Morell'' as a ''versatile'' artiste, now he gives us a beautiful ballad in its true essences for ''Part of Me'' to clear any doubt of that title. This is a classic R&B style of delivering an amazing love song laced with the keys of the piano and the emotions which can be felt from ''Morell'' voice, made everything brilliant for this record to be called a certified classic.
Special Day: We see ''Morell'' slow it down on the last tracks of the album and ''Special Day'' is a track highly infested with the ''Kontigi'' instrument giving it that northern Nigerian feel and with great support of the bass guitar truly shows the high quality of this record.
Mango: This is certainly a radio friendly song and I will definitely would love to see a video for this record. ''Morell'' shows off his skills on ''Mango'' which has that contemporary afrobeat influence and he tells his listeners the struggles he had to go through (leaving the north to Lagos) to get here and indeed you must say it has been an interesting journey for this talented artiste and a perfect way to end this project with an affirmation of greater works in the future.
Here are my final thoughts on this debut album ''Musa Jikan Musa'' it was easy to listen/digest and arguably one of the best projects I have heard this year. ''Morell'' wasn't trying too hard to please anyone on this album but he wanted listeners to feel his creativity and he did just that. The production was of high standard, the concept had all the right elements and with features from ''Di'ja'' and ''AP'' added an amazing quality to the project and didn't make it look like he was trying to hard to pull an audience to peep the album with an array of features on it. Therefore based on my conclusion I would rate ''Musa Jikan Musa'' a 9/10. And I look forward to ''Morell'' as an artist change the face of the game with the level of creativity under his belt.
In case you haven't listened or downloaded Morell - Musa Jikan Musa please download it here:
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