Buju – Sorry I’m Late [EP] Review

It is not enough to have an amazing singing voice. A musician must be able to back that god-given talent with an enjoyable musical experience that will excite any listener enough to put the music on repeat. Sorry I’m Late is the latest project from Nigerian music sensation, Buju. A year ago, Buju debuted his first project titled: 24 Hrs in Lagos City. He has since grown into an established mainstream artist in the Afropop community. His collaboration with WizKid to create the hit song, Mood, in the critically acclaimed Made In Lagos – Deluxe Edition LP is a testament to his musical abilities.

Sorry I’m Late is a 7 track project filled with melodic and very musical content that is indeed worthy of a good listen. The first track, Daniel Benson, paints a crystal clear picture of why the Buju fans love Buju: His ear-catching use of metaphors and personifications to express his pride and doggedness in lyrical terms. On the hook of this track, he can be heard singing proudly: /you know I give them gbedu wey go blow their mind/. Nevertheless, Buju managed to give us a great tune. On a song that bears his name (Daniel Benson), Buju created a groovy song that can be enjoyed by all.

Never Stopped goes straight into the soul as Buju sings about his never-say-die spirit with impeccable vocal rendition. It is a great Afropop tune that displays Buju’s ability to suck in any listener with heartfelt lyrics. Kilometer, the third track on the EP, takes a sharp turn away from the mellow tempo rendition of the previous tracks to a more fast-paced tune. The extensively detailed instrumentation of Rexxie can be felt on this record. Rexxie’s Amapiano/Afropop fusion has become a club-hit recipe in the Nigerian music industry and it would have been the stuff of a dream if Buju have been able to create a similar synergy with Rexxie as Mohbad did in the critically acclaimed banger KPK (Ko Por Ke). Sadly, Buju’s obvious lack of street-curated lyrics simply made Kilometer a danceable tune, and nothing more.

On Something sweet, Buju returned to his more familiar mellow musical tempo. The Afro-drums, electric guitar and Buju’s vocal mixes finely to give a cool record for the ladies. Buju’s attempt to create a Highlife tune that will showcase his wide musical palette and scope proved rather abortive as he fails miserably to create a synergy with The Cavemen on Ogechukwu. His mantra of /vibes dey body, e no dey finish/ sounded very uninspired and comatose. Thankfully, the highlife duo was able to fine-tune the record with a melodic verse.

Sorry I’m Late is a project filled with highs and lows, greatly inspired tunes and very uninspired ones. Overall, it is an enjoyable EP and everyone should give it a listen.

Album score: 6/10 

Clinton Akporherhe

Clinton spends an average of 26 hours on the internet every week. He spends 11 hours out of that time searching and listening intently to both new and old musical albums. If he’s not doing that, then he is probably running a digital marketing campaign at work. If inspired, he writes poetry or plays with his Guitar. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

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