Album Review: Burna Boy Doesn’t Coast to Victory on Love, Damini
The Nigerian singer combines new tricks with uninspiring, old ones.
Three years after 2019’s African Giant, Burna Boy has maintained his impressive run of form, releasing hit songs, shutting down shows and gracing magazine covers. After losing out to veteran Angélique Kidjo in the Best World Music Album category at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, he did one better the following year when he won the prize (after it had been renamed Best Global Music Album) with Twice as Tall (2020). That win secured Burna Boy his long-coveted dream of a Grammy but it also earned him a few criticisms.
“From what inspired its title to its timing, direction, roll-out, PR, personnel and the forced Pan-Africanist narrative, everything suggests this album is a concerted tilt at the Grammy Awards,” Nigerian music journalist Motolani Alake wrote in his review of Twice as Tall. He wasn’t wrong; Twice as Tall, which had hip-hop heavyweight Diddy as one of its executive producers, featured respected names such as Youssou N’Dour, Naughty by Nature and Chris Martin (of British rock band Coldplay) — all Grammy winners. The tracks on Twice as Tall (except for “Onyeka”) alienated the Nigerian audience; they didn’t have the Nigeria-flavoured essence of songs like “Gbona,” “Dangote,” “Anybody,” or the Zlatan-assisted “Killin Dem” that jam-packed African Giant.
On his sixth studio album Love, Damini, Burna Boy, now cured of his Grammy craving, corrects the wrongs of Twice as Tall and resurrects the Nigerianness of African Giant. Before the release of the album, which is named after the singer’s first name, Burna Boy revealed his intentions for the project—a window into his personality, warts and all—with the smash hit “Last Last.” The Stefflon Don-inspired breakup track courses with pain coated in sweet melodies.
Just as he did with Twice as Tall’s Youssou N’Dour-featuring “Level Up,” Burna Boy enlists the assistance of the five-time Grammy-winning South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo on the opening track “Glory.” He reminisces about his trouble-filled path to success: fights with cellmates in a British prison, his deportation to Nigeria and the doubts that creep up on him throughout his music career. Burna Boy, who celebrated his 31st birthday five days before the release of Love, Damini, uses the track as his triumphant entry. On “Cloak & Dagger,” he and British rapper J Hus are ready to unleash on their enemies.
But what does a Burna Boy album make without banging afrobeats tunes? Nigerian-British producer P2J assembles the saxophone, guitar and ambulance sirens on the hard-hitting “Science” where Burna Boy boasts about his wealth and sexual prowess to a romantic interest sometimes strays into mild threats. Burna Boy and Nigerian record producer Kel-P reignite their African Giant chemistry on “Jagele” as the former continues to don his lover boy hat. The energy carries on into the previously released “Kilometre.”
Burna Boy collaborates with Nigerian singer Victony on the amapiano-influenced “Different Size.” On the track, which samples a soundtrack from the South Korean TV series Squid Game, both artistes spend time praising the variety of the female posterior. For Victony, who has surmounted difficult times (and is the only Nigerian feature on the project), the collaboration is another achievement in his burgeoning career. Burna Boy brings the party vibes to amapiano on “It’s Plenty.” On “Dirty Secrets,” Burna Boy plans to air his skeletons to his love interest as confirmation of his affection. He continues his outpouring of love on the saxophone-sweetened “Vanilla.”
The problems on Love, Damini start to appear at the midpoint. The issue isn’t that that section is full of bad songs; it is that the songs lack freshness and sound like iterations of previous Burna Boy tracks. Songs like “For My Hand,” “Toni-Ann Singh,” “Solid,” and “Rollercoaster,” do not leave a lasting impression and the big names on them— Ed Sheeran, Popcaan, Blxst, Kehlani, J Balvin—do not rescue the situation.
Love, Damini also calls to question Burna Boy’s moral judgment. In June 2022, the singer’s armed escorts allegedly shot and wounded two people at a nightclub in Lagos. The wife of one of the victims alleged that trouble started after she refused Burna Boy’s invitation to join him in his booth. Following the news, social media erupted with many people calling out the singer who (together with his management) is yet to address the incident.
In the first section of the project is “Whiskey.” The track is a win as Burna Boy laments about the black soot that has enveloped Port Harcourt, the city of his birth, which was caused by illegal refining. He complains about the floods in the rainy season due to bad roads and poor drainage systems. He also evokes the sense of misery in the country where people’s livelihood is destroyed by flood while other people are praying for a drop of rain to improve their lives. On the other hand, “Common Person,” which sits in the latter part of the project, falls on its face. Here, Burna Boy wears the personae of the ordinary Nigerian but it is hard to believe that the singer cares enough about the common Nigerians, most especially those at that nightclub.
Things get better when the Khalid-featuring “Wild Dreams” comes on. On the introspective track, Burna Boy sings about how the difficulties of life have contributed to the bliss he enjoys now. On “How Bad Could It Be,” he invites Jorja Smith, Kamaru Usman, Naomi Campbell and Swizz Beatz to offer their perspectives on how they navigate negative emotions. He also opens up about his approach to criticism and failure: flipping the middle finger to the situation and continuing with his intuition. On the title track, which also features Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he sings, “Tryna be a better man, I been tryin'/I got it all, but I still got my anger/Been workin' hard tryna get rid of my anger.”
While Love, Damini mirrors the strengths of African Giant, it also copies its weakness. At a runtime of one hour, the project would have been better with a slimmer tracklist. While Love, Damini is not baiting the Grammy academy, it would not be unsurprising if it got a nomination. That is how formidable Burna Boy’s music has grown.
Go HERE to stream Love, Damini.
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As much as I hate to listen to Nigerian music artistes 'cos most of them enjoy talking about sex, drugs, a woman's body and their ego; then sprinkling it with one 'Jah I thank you' rhyme - I like reading your reviews 'cos its like paying someone to listen to their trashy lyrics, so I can read all about it.... That way I stay in touch without getting dirt in my ear drums. So thank you Uzo!
P. S, I wonder how you are able to listen their songs and stay sane tho! Is there a secret?!? Lol!
Your analyses of Burna's career trajectory in this article is so on point!