Tomi Folayan praises God with his heart out on 'Liberty EP'

Motolani Alake 21:38 - 24 December 2020

Interestingly, the titles of songs on ‘Liberty EP’ are grand, but their titles are but a speck of the overall message they carry.

Interestingly, the titles of songs on ‘Liberty EP’ are grand, but their titles are but a tiny speck of the overall message they carry.

Tomi Folayan’s excellence is rooted in his Gospel; how he praises God with reverence, honesty and truth. It’s not in his excellent vocals or the backing acts from Olympas Shihon, or anything else.

He is like a pastor, speaking through his gospel. For this, he is similar to Pastor Lawrence Oyor, one of Nigeria’s biggest Gospel acts, whose music is also his Gospel. ‘Sofunmi’ is Yoruba for “tell me.” Topically, Folayan doesn’t believe he would amount to anything without God, as he sings in Yoruba, and backs it with powerful affirmations towards his maker.

Sonically, the song is rooted in elements of Rock and Yoruba Folk music. ‘God Made gods’ is a deep song that alludes to the greatest that God creates; it speaks to the excellence of those who serve God, as distinguished people on earth, and how God imbues his people with limitless capabilities. On top of that, Folayan and Shihon sing, “Do not think you can discourage me, because I know where I am going to...”

At its heart, the sonics of ‘God made gods’ feel inspired by 90s Gospel songs from legendary Gospel music acts like Panam Percy Paul.

‘Consume’ is a little more uptempo, with an edge of Pop. With its balance, it’s probably the best song on ‘Liberty EP.’

Interestingly, the titles of songs on ‘Liberty EP’ are grand, but their titles are but a tiny speck of the overall message they carry. Nonetheless, the project could have done with a better A&R process, which could have ironed out the flaws in vocal delivery, sound engineering and overall delivery of song lyrics.

Nonetheless, it’s good enough music that excels in its messaging.