A 9ice Review

You might have first heard his voice on 2shotz ‘Make Dem Talk’, and then on Ruggedman’s ‘Ruggedy Baba’.
We should have known him before then though; I mean, 9ice had an album out already; where do you think ‘Ganja Man’ and ‘Little Money’ came from? But somehow, we never made the connection so thank God for the collaborations and for a song that defines ‘hit’.

No-one knows how it happened, but suddenly, we were listening to ‘Gongo Aso’ at every party, and it became the ring tone for every phone. The question was, with such a monster hit, could he deliver a worthy album? His fans were worried. No, they knew that they would love him NO MATTER WHAT HE SANG. But they worried about those who wouldn't. Could he deliver?
Well, welcome to my review of GonGo Aso, the album.

Gongo Aso, the album has 14tracks.
It starts with a song that is cheeky and definitive- ‘Kinda Life’. Here is the song for anyone who’s had roadblocks put in their way, and who’s been told their way wouldn’t work. You stick at it, turn those stumbling blocks into stepping stones and say, ‘I like the kinda way I dey live now, o ye mi’
I am listening to it as i write funny enough. Everytime i listen to it, i feel like turning to people and letting them know that if 9ice says its okay, then it is.
I like that 9ice gives us a glimpse into his life, letting us know that the decision to stick with music might not neccessarily have been the most welcome one, especially for his parents. And as is a common thread throughout all his songs, this one is also laden with proverbs and adages.

‘Pamurogo’ is the next track and it’s a nice simple dance track, which always makes me want to dance. This one might not be the deepest of his songs, but it's jactually really funny when you imagine some guy saying these lines to some random girl.

Let me say that Tu Face might quite possibly be the best artiste to collaborate with. When he gets on a track, he blends so well with the host, and yet delivers his uniqueness still. So take a Tu Face who is fabulous on his own, and a 9ice who’s got lyrical prowess, and you have a song that will give ‘Gongo Aso’ a run for its money.
The song is titled ‘Street Credibility’, something Tu Face and 9ice have in abundance; if you check their past, walahi, you’ll be afraid!
I love the way this song starts; the instrumental is excellent!
Then 9ice just kills it, and Tu Face refuses to be outshone.
The chorus is simple and the swag is mad!
Oh i love this track...
Can you tell?

Oya, let's go there!
‘Party Rider’ is another banging party track which is oddly enough, quite mellow. I think 9ice excels in a very laidback, mellow delivery, but Cabasa turns this one into something groovy. I know for sure that a certain Alex Yangs loves this song.
A little exercise though.
WHAT DOES "I LIKE YOUR RINGTONE" MEAN?

When you set out to make a song with a specific aim in mind, you often times miss the mark. The truth is the best songs are the ones that were unplanned. 'Wedding Day' might therefore not be the Wedding Anthem it might have been created to be, but i still think that it will have a successful run. The chorus is so catchy, and Yorubas will definitely love that part as they sing that much already, but more than that, the song actually grows on you. I like it more now than when i first listened to it, and i have heard that view expressed by others as well.

‘Kasa Final’ is another mellow but groovy track, great for one of those dances where a guy is trying to toast a girl on the dance floor. 9ice looks like such a nice quiet, INNOCENT boy doesnt he? Err.. this track might change that view.
LOL.

‘Bachelors Life’ isn’t our favourite by a long shot although it has also grown on me but to be honest, i skip this one a lot. It feels more like 9ice featured on it than the other way round.

Track 9 is the instrumental for ‘Gongo Aso’; it’s a great teaser and if you know the lyrics, then you can test how good you are with the delivery by singing along. Hmmn… Spare your friends though!

Afterall, as ‘Photocopy’ warns, you can only try, but you can never be like him; we simply can’t string his words together like he does! This is another banging club track!
I love 'Photocopy', and i doubt that i am the only one. Cabasa is a genius, have you heard the drums on this track? Like he could produce rock jo!
Oh i like this song, cos it is a big declaration, you can only try, but you can never be like me! That's what's up!

The next track is another collaboration- Pasuma and 9ice. The song is again, a chest-thumper, and yet, it gives ALL glory to God! Simply put, they are letting us know that they are so far ahead that we cannot catch up with them. It might not be a club track, but it works well when driving, or working on your laptop.
I love the way Pasuma gets on it and says, "Paso, and 9ice". And i played this song for our gardener cos i wanted to know what he would think (he loves fuji). He loved it so much, he asked me to put it on his phone for him. So now 9ice has captured our hearts but not annihilated the streets.

Our favourite party / dance track on this album is ‘Jule’. You know how you go out and see these beautiful looking girls all dressed and made up sitting in a corner and not dancing? Well, I mean, why come to a club and pout? So 9ice asks, “Did you come here to observe the scenery, or did you come to dance?”
LOL
We can see ourselves getting into trouble as we go meet one of those girls and start singing ‘Jule’ to them!

Now Ladies and Gentlemen, might we introduce you to our favourite song on the album? (Well after the other favourites of course).
‘Ade Ori’ is a song of gratitude for God and is deep and spiritual. We know every album always has that one song that seems to say, “Oya God, take so that I can sing all the other bad songs I wrote” but ‘Ade Ori’ is different. A great way to wrap an album up (it is track 14), it is not only sincere and honest, but deeply spiritual. Yes, this song gets my vote any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

If ‘Ade Ori’ scores a five out of five, then ‘Gongo Aso’ breaks the chart.

Someone asked why people love ‘Gongo Aso’ so much. He said half of the people listening to it had no clue what was being said, and so he was curious to know why it was such a monster hit.
The thing is, you cannot write a manual on how to make a hit. A hit is a hit is a hit. There is hardly any formula to it. We can however guess why people love this song so much.

- You can’t help but be moved by it. To be honest, the beat is fierce; it appeals to everyone in varying degrees and makes you want to dance. Fullstop

- Even if you do not understand what 9ice is saying, you KNOW he is saying something.
It is the swag that gets you all the time.
Remember that song by Raw, ‘Obodo’? Well, a lot of people had no clue what he was saying either, but we just knew he was saying something! And so we loved it! That is the quality that ‘Gongo Aso’ has; it transcends the language being spoken and speaks to something more.

- If you DO understand the song, then it trips you to no end! The song is all about enjoying life, giving props to yourself, and not letting ANYTHING or ANYONE get you down!

After all is said and done, ‘Gongo Aso’ is a hit is a hit is a hit. And that’s all we have to say about that!

There you have it folks.
The album that is ‘Gongo Aso’, the album that declares that something is about to happen, and then goes on to prove it!
While there are one or two party tracks on this album, we recommend that you listen to it at home when you have guests around, or in your car as you drive down in Monday traffic, Friday’s pre-party runs, or on Sunday’s easy calm. Be warned though that the choruses and hooks are so catchy that you WILL start to sing along and while you might think you are cool, everyone else on the road will be wondering where LASTMA is when you need them!

(9ice’s album is blue and has him on the cover wearing a hooded top).

That's my review.
Now i am DYING to read from you
What did / do you think of the album?