''Ric Hassani'' The foremost Nigerian born alternative/soul musician has finally released his debut album titled - ''The African Gentleman'' and also a deluxe version that feature more artiste ''The African Gentleman'' which originally consist of seven (11) tracks and was released on the 2nd September, 2017. This review promises to be a joyride as we press play to unveil the art of what this album by ''Ric Hassani'' encompasses.
Gentleman: This was the first single which kicked off the campaign for this project and it had an Afrocentric inspired visual that got the single great reviews and buzz. '' Gentleman'' is a perfect and most symbolic way to kick off an album for ''Ric Hassani'' as it seems to be the core of the concept for this project.
Police: Ric Hassani displays his amazing song writing skills on his beautiful ballad titled 'Police' as his soulful voice glides on the strings of the guitar to bring this record to life and then making it one of the most remarkable tracks off this album.
Sing: Is a simple love composition that has this alluring soft/pop rock vibe and what's amazing about 'Sing' is the creativity Ric Hassani has put into it with the combination of that traditional ballad accretion, beautiful harmonies accompanied with an African dialect to keep it Afrocentric. The outcome of this record is a winner and makes it one of the best tracks of 'The African Gentleman.'
Believe: This is a beautiful love song that would work anytime when you are taking that vow with your significant other and it has all the right elements to get the party started at least for a typical Nigerian wedding. Again we see Ric Hassani pushing the envelop with his style and level of creativity which is overly commendable for an alternative artist coming from this part of the world where he has to contend/compete with contemporary music like; pop and afrobeats.
Number One: listening to this track from start to finish I would say this is one of the underwhelming song off this project, this is not to say Ric Hassani didn't come through on this record but I believe this track is very predictable without that wow factor to keep the listeners captivated.
Marry You: This record kicks off with the alluring strings of the guitar accompanied by the keys of the piano as we see Ric Hassani deliver another classic love song titled Marry You. This is a record that can only be fully appreciated when it is performed with a live orchestra considering the composition of a mellow build up that ends on a high note making it a listeners favourite.
Beautiful To Me: Now 'Beautiful To Me' is another track that shows the versatility of Ric Hassani as we see him put a superb mix of different genres like; afrobeats and sounds from the Caribbean's to make a fun loving love song. one word... Brilliant.
Sweet Mother Feat. Mumba Yachi: I have never seen a song made for mama that goes wrong and 'Sweet Mother Feat. Mumba Yachi' is not any different. We see Ric Hassani recruit the amazing Zambian artist Mumba Yachi who added that Afrocentric vibe to this highlife record. This is a well thought out song that if well promoted can give Ric Hassani that crossover hit he deserves across Africa.
Oge Na Ga Feat. Cabo Snoop, Xcellente & Mr. Nomsy: Ric Hassani features artist across the board on this track and I would have expected nothing less than fire on this record but sadly this is an average track compared to records I have heard so far on this album. My reason for rating this an average track is because 'Oge Na Ga' sounds like something I have heard before i.e. something that PSquare had done in the past and this made it unexciting for me but overall it is a great effort from the lad.
Only You: This is the second single off the 'The African Gentleman'' album and upon its release was accompanied by a simple and intimate visual of Ric Hassani with his love interest helping to depict an amazing love song. 'Only You' is one record off the album that really unveiled the vocal dexterity of Ric Hassani making it one of the solid track off this project.
As Long As You Love Me: Wrapping up this project Ric Hassani delivers another experimental number titled 'As Long As you Love Me.' The output of the production and concept of this mid-tempo record is brilliant as it shows his an artist with great potential to go international and have sold-out concerts.
Here are my final thoughts on this project by ''Ric Hassani - The African Gentleman.'' This is truly a breath of fresh air to the Nigerian Music scene and to have had him grace 2017 with this amazing album is just bissful. ''Ric Hassani'' pulled off solid project and even better with the deluxe version of this album which had featured A-list artist like; MI Abaga, with Yung L, Tjan, Jonny Drille, Sonyezo, C.C Johnson, and Tay Grin. However, I felt there were a few misses on some of the tracks off the album which had features from ace artist like Mumba Yachi to Cabo Snoop, Xcellente & Mr. Nomsy and not forgetting to give a huge applause to Jay Sleek who had an impactful production credit for this project. Therefore I would like to rate ''The African Gentleman'' a 9/10. This album could have gotten a 10 because the track listing, production, lyrics/melody, creativity, songwriting skills, vocal prowess, and entertainment was perfect but due to a few weak songs on the tracklist I had to give it a 9 which is still great, but maybe if those weak songs had come under the deluxe version of the album and some off the deluxe version made the album then a 10 would have been eminent for Ric Hassani.
In case you haven't listened or downloaded Ric Hassani - The African Gentleman please download it here:
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