''Simi'' Nigerians own songbird, songwriter and sound engineer 'Simi' has finally releases her critically acclaimed self titled album 'Simisola' under the 'X3M Music' imprint and it consist of twelve (12) tracks and three (3) bonus tracks previously released. 'Simisola' graced the shelves on the 8th September, 2017 and this promises to be a joyride as we take a listen/review this body of work by the delectable Simi.
Remind Me: Is the introduction to the 'Simisola' album and it is a beautiful ballad with a tone of mixed feelings any human being goes through from time to time and when they eventually meet the one person that changes their perspective about life, then loving others would now have a new/deeper meaning. This is indeed a brilliant way to kick off this project by Simi.
Joromi: This arguably the first single off the LP and it is titled 'Joromi' a remake of the legendary 'Victor Uwaifo's' 1996 classic and she did no wrong in giving it that modern twist as well as maintaining the essence of a classic highlife vibe. 'Joromi' was accompanied with an amazing visual upon its release as it depicts a beautiful love story from the lyrics of the song. This is one of the solid singles off the 'Simisola' album that has received so much great reviews and buzz upon its release.
Aimasiko: The title of this track 'Aimasiko' is a Yoruba word which could mean 'Nobody knows tomorrow' and Simi beautifully put this into a conscious record projecting the reality of life which reveals that; God alone knows the future and all of our effort to make it big/achieve in life is all dependant on him. I must confess I am a great critic of Simi for not always being edgy/taking risk with her vocals and style of music but she proved me slightly wrong with this track. Lol. This is a great record which has a great Yoruba influence with the talking drums and that Caribbean feel giving it that Afrocentric/calypso vibe.
Complete Me: This is an amazing love song that has great instrumental influences of the; lead/bass guitar, talking drums, and violin which brought out the quality of this record all thanks to a well thought out fusion of classical instruments and maintaining that of African essence by Simi and her producer was brilliant.
Gone For Good: Anytime I listen to 'Gone For Good' I always get that Goosebumps feeling, even though this is sort of like a breakup song Simi totally owned it on this record with her vocals and with the melody of the song that simply draws you in deeply that you cant help but love it. This is by far my most favourite track off this project because it is a solid track with all the right elements that could make a hit record.
Original Baby: This is a 'Fela Anikulapo Kuti' influenced record from his1972 classic record titled 'Trouble Sleep, Yanga Wake Am' and we see Simi make a beautiful conscious record again off this album. This is a vital track off this project because its always refreshing to see an artist do a track that can empower listeners to do better with their lives and not having to be compelled to do trendy topics to sell records.
One Kain: This by far one of Simi's most forward and creative records off the Simisola album. One Kain is a mid - tempo record with that 90s influence infused into her traditional Yoruba bilingual and that afrobeats base making it such a fun/flirty record. Yet again Simi proves me wrong that; she can be more than just a one way vocalist. Lol.
Take Me Back Feat. Adekunle Gold: This is an awesome record that has a high influence of the acoustic/Spanish guitar, trumpets, and the konga. This is the only record off this project with a feature on it by none other than the soulful vocalist Adekunle Gold you would expect nothing less than AMAZING!!! Simi has succeeded in creating a classic love song for the world with this one.
O wa n'be: As the name O wa n'be implies 'Party' we Simi painting perfect scenarios that occur at Nigerian weddings on this brilliant Highlife record making it one of the fun loving records off this album and an appropriate pick for any wedding track list.
Smile For Me: This record reminds me of one we have already reviewed on this album errrm.... Yes! 'Gone For Good' well I don't mean this completely in a bad way but diversity is key when you want to achieve a classic album most times. However, both records are my best off the project because the melodies of these records are lasting and I have to give kudos to Simi for this beautiful ballad that captures your heart.
Angelina: The production is fabulous because it has a very contemporary/reggae sound, with a hook like 'Angelina' that is unforgettable. Simi pulled off another fresh vibe with this record and can be rated as one of the best off this album.
Hiphop Hurray: This record has that modern trendy vibe to it and surely Simi had something for everyone on this album. I must say not a bad way to close this project. However, this song is not particularly my favourite off the album but it is certainly an appropriate song to have made Simi's track list.
Bonus Tracks
Love Don't Care: This record unveiled Simi's amazing song writing skills which was accompanied by a very solid production. The alluring strings of the bass/lead guitar made this song whole and one of the best recording from this talented artist till date and may go down as one of classics of all times.
Tiff: All I can say is that this record and Jamb Question are the records that shot Simi to the limelight and she indeed caught our attention and hasn't disappointed ever since. Simi we are glad you came...
Here are my final thoughts on this album by ''Simi - Simisola.'' This is yet another brilliant album by a female Nigerian artist in the year 2017. ''Simi'' pulled off a solid project despite the fact she had only one guest feature on it by Adekunle Gold which is quit impressive, because most budding talents always tend to fall into that trap of trying to score big/win new fans by featuring a great line up of A list artist. Not that this is a wrong approach in itself but it is always great to see artist who can standout on their own, this tends to show the depth of their content, boldness and creativity. A few artist have done this in recent times like Kiss Daniel's debut album New Era released in 2016 which we saw the young lad have a successful album without famous guest appearances and we see Simi do the same this year.Therefore I would like to rate ''Simisola'' a 9.5/10 because this album is as good as a classic considering the track listing, production, lyrics/melody, creativity, songwriting skills, vocal prowess which was as good as perfect but the album wasn't as entertaining as I would have loved it to be and the reason I held back my .5 on this rating. Simi is definitely one talent if well managed will have longevity in her career as a female artist in Nigeria even up to a legendary status globally. Recommendation: keep doing a great job that you are already doing Simi.
In case you haven't listened or downloaded Simi - Simisola please download it here:
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