Afro-rave pioneer Rema has dropped his debut album titled Raves and Roses.
The album is a 16-track body of work that spans through Dancehall, Bashment, Ragga, Afrobeats, Afro-swing, Afro-Pop, Synth-Pop and it comes as no surprise because it’s Rema after all. The fast-rising singer is determined to take the Nigerian music industry to the next level with his sound. Okay let’s dive in as Divine starts off this musical journey with that dancehall vibe typical of Rema. One thing is clear here, that Indian sound that many have dragged him for having is absent right here. There is no how you will listen to this track and you won’t want to dance or shake your head. Here he sings about himself and how he was born. He defines why he was named Divine, the love of his mother that he can never trade for anything, while he gives us a solemn reggae feel and we love it. Hold Me has the first feature with 6Black and the introductory beat is actually nice.
READ ALSO: Music Review: Asake’s ‘Ololade Asake’ Shows Potential Even Though It Lacks Direction
The Marvin signee applies the ‘Rema feel’ where he drags his words at the end as he sings about his love interest. He does the same on Calm Down and these two songs actually sound similar up to the instrumentals. Dirty takes us down another road in terms of it’s beats but the rest is the same because he seems to be focused on the ladies, copulation and making babies. The play of the trumpets, the guitars and that Fela feel makes it more likeable. One thing is clear on this body of work and it is that Rema seems to be focused on sex, like sex is his inspiration because of it isn’t Ifeoma or Divine or Omotola or Obianuju that is rubbing his chest or collecting the D, he has nothing else to offer.
Let’s not even talk about Soungasm. Time N Affection features Chris Brown and no one saw this coming. Just as the name implies, he is focused on giving his love interest his time and affection, including his pay and pension because she has a body made for the bedroom. Chris Brown just never disappoints, no more comments. In Jo, Love, Oromo Baby, Carry and Runaway he tones down his explicit talks about sex and just like Calm Down, he is trying to woo his babe while describing her body. Whoever is mixing and mastering Rema’s beat is a genius because they are all beautiful. The but comes in the moment Rema opens his mouth (lol), but if he chooses to focus on copulation, he has presented a musical work that people who are interested in that can draw inspiration from.
READ ALSO: Music Review: Asa Is Definitely In Love On The ‘V’ Album
Irrespective of all the sex talk, Rema has the Raves & Roses down to the hilt, and on every track he didn’t miss it at all. One thing he has is direction, from the album title to the tracks that make up the entire album, every thing is in line with his central idea. He is determined to promote the afrorave sound and that is not absent here at all. This rising star deserves to be commended for this body of work because the concentration and focus here to not derail any point is super evident.
Mara is a lovely piece no cap, from its instrumentality to his lyrics, dope. Addicted gives us that Micheal Jackson, old school vibe from the beat to the lyrical delivery, and it all blended smoothly. Are You There answers the comments of people to his themes, and style. Anyone who wants to know why Rema sings about women, listen to this track. FYN features AJ Tracey and they both created magic. Wine features French singer and songwriter Yseult and she made this track dope right from the beginning to the end.
Final Thoughts
Rema’s Raves & Roses was worth the wait. This body of work captures his intended message of the female specie being his focus. The album gets a 7/10, thumbs up Rema, bigger wins awaits you.
Listen to the album here;
Trending video of the day;
Photo Credit: Getty
