EP Review: Feelings Aplenty on Troniq Music & Oxlade’s Eclipse
Nigerian singer Oxlade is the star of these love-themed songs.
Oxlade’s big break came in 2018 when he featured on “Mamiwota,” off Blaqbonez’s Bad Boy Blaq. He doused the afro-pop track with love-soaked lyrics and stunning falsetto vocals. Before then, unsure of his singing abilities, he had flirted with rap. The warm reception that greeted “Mamiwota” gave Oxlade the confidence to own his voice. Last year, “Away,” a track from his debut EP Oxygene, became a runaway hit, made it into Rolling Stone’s “The 50 Best Songs of 2020” and landed him a Next Rated nomination at the 2020 Headies.
Since “Mamiwota,” Oxlade has built a reputation for blessing songs with catchy hooks. He carried his good form from DJ Tunez’s “Causing Trouble” to Juls’s “Angelina” to Basketmouth’s “Myself” to Spinall’s “Jabole” to Ice Prince’s “KOLO” and to M.I Abaga’s “All My Life.” Those features, though delightful in themselves, raise fears as to whether Oxlade has enough fuel in the tank for his projects. His newest EP Eclipse, which he co-owns with his label Troniq Music, dispels those fears.
Eclipse, a four-track project entirely assembled by Nigerian record producer DJ Coublon, finds Oxlade in varying stages of love and affection. On DJ Coublon’s afro-pop production, which is rich with different elements, the singer belts out lyrics both filled with vulnerabilities and self-confidence. DJ Smart is responsible for the mixing while Leandro “Dro” Hidalgo, who has fingerprints on Wizkid’s Made In Lagos, handled the mastering.
On the opener “More,” Oxlade approaches a love interest. “I like your smile/I like your vibe,” he tells her. Against a background of percussion, drums and horn blasts, he proceeds to feed her with promises of everlasting love. “Even if you do me wrong, I no go vex for you/Even if I dey on zero, you no go beg for food/Even if you show me shege, I no go vex for you,” he sings.
Oxlade wears his heart on his sleeve on the dancehall-influenced “Ojuju,” which was released as a lead single. In Nigerian lingo, “ojuju” represents evil spirits. On the song, Oxlade narrates how both his failure in finding love and the unfaithfulness ongoing in other people’s relationships have knocked fear into him. “I’m afraid of falling in love again/I got scars baby and you know it pains/Me no wan cry/Me no wan shed tears,” he sings.
On the mid-tempo “Pay Me,” Oxlade tucks in his fear and poses an important question to his lover: “What shall it profit a man to gain the world and lose a gem like you?” He is resolute about expressing his feelings and tells her that he has nothing to gain from breaking her heart. DJ Coublon intersperses the percussion-and-drums beat with an electric guitar solo that segues into Oxlade’s energetic, emotional outflow.
“Incomplete” is evidence that Oxlade has reneged on his promise of loving only his woman. He begs her to take him back into her life. “I no go fuck up again again oh/I no wan lose you/You got me thinking about the future,” he sings, pointing out that without her in his life, he is incomplete. He ends the song in a playful mood, calling on his friends and DJ Coublon to plead on his behalf.
It is interesting that Troniq Music shares ownership of the project with Oxlade because it wasn’t so on Oxygene. Whatever the case might be, Oxlade and DJ Coublon have put together lasting music that will aid the singer’s rise to stardom. Although there might be no runaway hit like “Away,” Eclipse will have a longer shelf life than Oxygene.
Go HERE to stream Eclipse.