THEY ARE BACK…AND I THINK THEY ARE DONE

The all conquering juggernaut that is the Okoye Family, spear-headed by the seemingly infallible Peter and Paul ‘Everything we touch must turn to Gold’ Okoye are back with the album tagged “Danger” and for the first time chinks appear to be appearing to their once flawless armour.

Danger is a Ten Track almost entirely self-produced album by Peter and Paul and it offers more or less of what we have come to expect fro them. This album has been met by both solid sales as well as a healthy amount of backlash as people have been under whelmed by the album. In fact, I’ve met people who have used unprintable names with the album, I find this amusing in a country and industry that celebrates Terry-G.

Initially, I trashed the album, fuming that I deserve a refund but after taking time out to listen again, I figured out where the problem stemmed from. With their last album, they elevated their game so much that anything less is just a no-no. On the ‘Game over’ album, they proved that they could do original music which was just as fantastic as their earlier offerings and coupled with the awesome videos?

Well, what else is a recipe for success?

Make no bones about it, I am not the biggest P-square fan and I should be the one leading the crucifixion chants, but the fact is their last album ‘Game Over’ was so good in the eyes of the general Nigerian Public that the new album, ‘a cross between a rehash of most of the songs on ‘Game Over’ and a few weird songs’, doesn’t just match up to the expectation and that is when to borrow their own phrase, ‘wahala dey’.

People are not happy with the album for reasons which include, some of the songs sound a lot like the ones on their last album and the rest are not ‘P-Square’ standard. The album is pretty decent, but underwhelming. To their credit, they self produced almost the entire album.). But them try, it just wasn’t better than Game over and that in my opinion was their cardinal sin.

The title of this write-up says that they may be done, but P-Square has proved me wrong before and I think they will be around for a long time to come, besides all the detractors will forgive them when the video roll in, Engees is still a good director and they have taken criticism and come back the better for it (I Hope!)

DANGER – THE REVIEW

I LOVE YOU – ‘or Ifunaya part 2’. The song contains the same message, same Ibo interjections same context, undying love and all that jazz. Melodious enough! A song for the ladies. Hook and title say it all, unspectacular song.

TROWAY – Up-tempo song that encourages ‘plenty money’ to be wasted in the pursuit of a beautiful woman! (Sure, whatever makes you happy). Danceable and enjoyable, but is that an interpolation of that old Awilo song I hear in the song? (Darn, just when I was just saying they didn’t copy on this album).

BREAK IT – Classic P-Square! Someone snide might call this a rehash of ‘Roll It’. I’ll let you make up your mind. Featuring the ever energetic Hypeman, Frenzy, this frantic, frenetic and energetic club banger is guaranteed to make you dance. The energy on the song is infectious and Frenzy gives the song that extra ‘oomph!!!.’ Will go someway in placating the average P-Square fan, it also a song that P-square will love to perform. Joint Stand out song

POSSIBILITY ft. 2FACE IDIBIA – First of all it contains the exact same piano progression as “Do Me’ which is made more evident at the end of the song. That aside, it is arguably the best song on the album. It features 2face and their chemistry on the track is lovely. It contains those lyrics that make you love both these artistes all over again. Classic P-Square Love song.

DANGER – Again! Sounds like a Dre beat made for Eminem, the song doesn’t come to mind and I don’t have the energy to look for it. Kinda annoying single. Different sound, but all in all, not a bad song, just not what we have come to expect, also a very poor choice for their first single.

E NO EASY FT J MARTINS – A J. Martins produced track (Dude, must be the most monotonous producer in the country bar Terry G). Sounds like almost every other J Martins production. It is an ordinary song that celebrates hard work. Utterly forgettable!

BYE BYE – Sounds like something from the Game Over album, typical P-Square love song about the babe that won’t stay but wants to stage a comeback, sweet song but nothing new, I have heard it before and so it doesn’t do anything for me. A song for the ladies, they’ll like it.

WHO DEY HERE – Weird Song! It takes shots at their haters and flaunts their success at their detractors. Catchy hook, not a club banger but interesting enough. I for one like this song funnily enough.

GIMME DAT – This is one of those ‘your body is too fantastic and I must touch or hit it’ songs. That is a staple of every P-Square album. Entertaining and interesting enough, for the clubs (I hope!)

SUPER FANS – I find it strange that the song dedicated to the fans turns out to be the worst song on the album. It sounds like Akon’s beautiful. They pay homage to their fans both home and abroad and then thank them for their successes. Last song on the album and sounds like the song was not well thought out. Produced by Frenzy.

All in all, an average album that will be ultimately successful, look out for very good videos to rescue the mediocre songs and massive airplay to make the tolerable ones more tolerable. Here’s hoping this album mis-step is a one off, otherwise, look for a new duo to provide you with hits.

OLANBIWONINU

P-SQUARE - DANGER

It is needless to begin this review with an introduction of Naija’s favourite twins, “P-SQUARE^”, as we are all aware of their journey that began “last nite” and has plagued us with hits from “Back 2 Back” that we had to call it “Game Over”.

Just when I was beginning to believe that the dynamic duo would never put out a song Nigerians wouldn’t like, they go ahead and prove me wrong with the release of their new single from their forthcoming album, titled ‘danger’ (Ironically the warning signs were there).

The backlash that has trailed the release of this single has been unprecedented and whilst I, initially jumped on the band wagon of the nay-Sayers who concluded that P-square’s star was on the decline, on subsequent listens, I discovered that the song isn’t as bad as first imagined.

The problem with the song stemmed from the fact that P-square are the architects of their own misfortune.

This is a group that has derived fame and fortune from ‘get-up-on-your-feet-and-dance’ club-bangers, melodious songs with an infectious rhythm, songs that when they come on, be it in the club, on the street or in your bath, you can’t help but move.

But this song is such a marked difference from what they have now been associated with that, they might as well have put out a ‘fuji’ track.

People cannot relate with the song and that is the source of the rejection.

The high octane introduction of ‘Do me’ is still fresh in people’s minds (Ten bucks says you still remember where you were when you first heard that song). The follow up singles of ‘No-One’, ‘Ifunaya’ and most especially ‘Roll It’ all had an irresistible pull.

Danger on the other hand has nothing to offer the typical Peter and Paul fan.

It is an original piece of music from them (not to add that the beat has got an 'eminem-ISH' flavour to it), but then again, so were many of the songs on arguably their most successful album ‘Game Over’.

This song (Danger) lacks the pull, melody, charm, rhythm and the danceability of their previous offerings, even Busy-Body with the fact that it was(in their own words) ‘copy-copy’ was still much danceable and relatable to and Nigerians are unfortunately still stuck in their own ways to embrace change as radical as this.

Danger is a decent song, I personally do not like it, but trust me, it’ll find heavy rotation and the song will have its fans. This will probably be a one off as they themselves, being consummate entertainers, know that their success depends on their live acts and this is not a song for a live performance. I’ll be shocked if the rest of the album follows suit.

However, they have no excuse for the video which will only serve to alienate more fans. It’s one thing to protest being called unoriginal vehemently and then go ahead to put out a very unoriginal video.

Now a lot of people would question my school of thought but, the background, the fish-eye camera view, the teeth baring across the screen and general clowning around, all just scream Busta Rhyme’s – Hustler’s Ambition. This doesn’t help their cause if they want to break away from that unoriginal tag.

In our honest opinion, the video was a very lazy attempt and this from the same team who gave us those wonderful videos. Sure the video looks good, well shot and different from the typical Naija Video. Infact, it might even be the video to beat in 2009, but that will not always be enough. Originality remains the key.

I don’t get the 'message' they were trying to pass across with the clowns (...comic relief perhaps?) and I’m still trying to figure out the lyrics (seems they were bragging about the demanding nature of their 'celeb' lifestyles).

Maybe it’s the clowns that personally terrify me or it’s just the fact that they didn’t change the background.

Whatever it is, I sincerely hope this is a one off.

we grace the effort with a 7...

(Keep up the great work we know you guys for, and if you don’t, we will be here to remind you of the good old days which “GOD definitely forbids”...lol)

Now have your say people.