ADEKUNLE GOLD – TOO MUCH OF THE SAME THING

‘..Gold has dropped two singles namely
‘Only Girl’ featuring Moelogo and ‘Call On Me’ off his upcoming body of
work, fresh with accompanying visuals. However, while they are legitimate
jams in their own right, they didn’t exactly hit the ground running…’ – Nnamdi Onyimadu

Let me start out by saying that I’m the biggest fan of Adekunle Gold that
you can ever find out there. On 19 December 2014, when he released a cover
of One Direction’s ‘Story of My Life’ titled ‘Sade,’ he inadvertently got
himself a fan who would sing his praises anywhere he went. Adekunle
released songs that resonated deeply with most people in a way that is not
at all common on this side of this divide. With themes we can all relate to
such as hope, passion and of course, love, Adekunle Gold has forever etched
his name in the annals of the Nigerian music industry due to the many
timeless and evergreen singles he has blessed us with such as ‘Orente,’
‘Pick Up,’ ‘Ready,’ ‘No Forget,’ ‘Friendzone,’ ‘Ariwo Ko,’ among others.
His official debut album aptly titled ‘Gold’ can best be described as
coming from a deep place of artistic excellence deserving of applause.
Following his departure from YBNL Nation due to the expiry of his contract,
Adekunle Gold unveiled his band ‘The 79th Element’ in reference to the
atomic number of gold.

Adekunle Gold / Art by Seriki / Mystreetz magazine

As fans wait earnestly for the release of his sophomore album which we
already know will be titled ‘About 30,’ Gold has dropped two singles namely
‘Only Girl’ featuring Moelogo and ‘Call On Me’ off his upcoming body of
work, fresh with accompanying visuals. However, while they are legitimate
jams in their own right, they didn’t exactly hit the ground running. This
is all the more apparent when you compare the influence of these newer
releases compared to his earlier works. I mean, tracks like ‘Sade’ and
‘Orente’ were insanely popular even before videos were made for them. That
magic appears to have dissipated as Adekunle Gold prepares for his second
album. I particularly loved ‘Call On Me’ as it got me feeling some type of
way right from the first listen. One of the biggest obstacles an artiste
has to face in the course of his/her career is overcoming seemingly
insurmountable expectations and believe me, when it comes to Adekunle
Gold’s sophomore album, the expectations are through the roof. I do think a
bit of complacency might have crept into Gold’s game, as he may have fallen
into a routine. It’s not that the new songs are not all that great; it’s
that they all sound like too much of the same thing at this point. It may
be a good idea if Adekunle Gold pushes newer frontiers, adapts newer sounds
and different genres to excellent and surprising results. Shock and awe
bro. Do the unexpected. Break the norm.