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After releasing seven projects in 21 months, it does appear that the Street pop sensation is desperately in need of a breather, and nothing signals this more than his latest project 'Loseyi Professor'.
In the 21 months since his fortune changed with the release of the Amapiano party starter 'Chance,' the Apala fusing star has become one of the most streamed Afrobeats acts in Nigeria thanks to the volume of his output.
He launched his label Vibez INC and signed 4 artists to it, released EPs with deluxe versions for each of these artists, and dropped a label compilation album, before squeezing out time to release a new project. He managed all these in the space of 7 months since he released his last EP.
While his latest 7-track effort 'Loseyi Professor' seems like an attempt to showcase a more musical aspect of his artistry, Seyi Vibez only manages to deliver an album of deep cuts that flatlines across its 17 mins 51 secs playing time.
Seyi Vibez built his fame off the back of up-tempo hits defined by Amapiano log drums and balanced by introspective deep cuts. The Street pop star fails to offer the best of both worlds on 'Loseyi Professor'.
Like his December 2023 EP 'NAHAMciaga' whose title borrows from the lyrics of his hit single 'Hushpuppi', his latest effort is curled from the lyrics of his single 'Professor' whose chest-thumping he replicates across several tracks on 'Loseyi Professor'.
Seyi Vibez's mid-tempo exploration kicks off at home in 'Lagos' where he drags out the Apala melodies in his philosophical musing about the hustle, bustle, and everyman-for-himself ideology that defines the city.
While he fulfills the critical requirement of having a strong song as the second track with the smooth melodies that drive his introspection, gratitude, and chest-thumping on 'Doha', the album quickly flatlines on 'Casablanca' where his singing and adlibs sleepily drag over the bouncy Dibs beat.
Although Seyi Vibez's Apala exploration on 'Santorini' pales in comparison to the levels he reached on his hit single 'Different Pattern' yet it's one of the better songs on the projects where his delivery and vocals carry some vigor.
Seyi Vibez's upbeat declaration to chase success no matter the cost on 'Manchester' is lost in its sleepy delivery compounded by its minimalist production. When he compares himself to the famous scientist Albert Einstein on the log drum-driven closer, it comes off as a half-hearted attempt to jerk the album to life at the last minute.
On their merits, the tracks are decent songs that could make for a good addition across two or three albums. However, as a body of work, they don't offer much beyond their sonic coherence that's as compelling as Seyi Vibez's decision to name the tracks after prominent cities globally. This points to an A&R problem with no one caring for creative and structural balance beyond what's beginning to appear like a compulsive need to release projects to maximise his output of hit singles.
If this album signals anything, it's that Seyi Vibez needs to take a breather.
Did he need to drop this album? And what exactly does he intend to achieve with it? No, he doesn't need a new album, especially when he sounds tired and uninspired.
Seyi Vibez could have easily gone on a feature run to have his artistry suitably stretched by different artists until he's refreshed enough to drop a body of work.
There's also the part where the approach to his project release raises questions for an artist with the resources at his disposal. If he's not dropping different track lists across streaming platforms, he's dropping an album an entire day on one DSP before it eventually drops on another in what appears to be professional lapses rather than an exclusive arrangement with a particular platform.
This issue of approach while it may not hamper the overall success and performance of his project does create an avoidable perception problem that now appears to be sipping into his creative process.
0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fail
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.4/2
Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1/2
Production: 1.4/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1/2
Execution: 1/2
TOTAL - 5.8