Chike ensured that he basked in the success of his debut album and he was able to retain the attention of an audience who couldn't get enough of his refreshing talent. He released a live album, he put out a DJ remix of selected songs, and he was heavily booked to thrill audiences with his captivating vocals.
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While many eagerly awaited the release of his second album, there was always the consciousness that topping his debut was not going to be a troll in the park.
Thirty months after releasing his debut album, Chike eventually decided that he was ready for his second act which he calls 'The Brother's Keeper'.
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In his second album, Chike offers himself to a larger audience while struggling to retain the artistic elements that brought him success.
The album art offers the first insight into what can be considered the thought process behind the project. Chike poses in a stylish designer suit while recreating a pose made famous by the great Micheal Jackson and Lionel Richie. Chike's tribute to the great Pop icon and the great R&B figure suggests to me that he's elevating himself from just an R&B artist with a sizeable followership that primarily consists of female fans into a superstar R&B icon and a Pop star whose fame transcends demography.
This deduction can be traced to the album which opens up with 'On The Moon' which captures the elation that comes with achieving success. One can easily hear the confidence and artistic freedom that allows an R&B star to open up his album with a commercial Amapiano sound. On this single, Chike spreads his metaphorical wings and soars at an altitude close to the moon. He’s earned this freedom and he’s eager to share this excitement.
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'The Brother's Keeper' is a phrase that flows from the Biblical admonition and Chike borrows from this ecclesiastical teachings as he explores the universal subject of love.
On 'Tell Am' Chike taps into his romantic side as he makes a danceable and appealing love tune. The song is a step away from the R&B style that brought him fame as he turns to crowd vocals and street-pop progression to deliver a potential Tik Tok hit. On 'Spell', he slows it down as he keeps to the subject of love and explores what it means to be hopelessly, helplessly, and entirely in love. The R&B song is the first reminder of the Chike that stunned listeners in the 'Boo of the Booless' hence it will come as a little surprise if it turns out to be amongst the favorites on the album.
Love is a recurring subject in the album and Chike explores the different elements of love. On 'Hard To Find', he touches on the challenges of finding love in a modern world. Flavour bends the melody to deliver a verse that when paired with the chorus and the strings carries the cadence of Igbo R&B as popularized by Flavour. Chike turns to Highlife in 'Good Things' as he explores the subject of patience which is a topic he would definitely know a thing or two about given his journey to success. He even infuses some Yoruba in the song as he tries to offer himself to a larger audience.
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Similarly in 'My Africa', he goes for a pan-African song and he taps South African Azana to create a single that has familiar strings and horns that run through all of sub-Saharan mainstream music. While the patronizing elements of the song can't be missed, it fits into Chike's Intention to be an African Superstar.
Chike explores unconditional love on 'Zamo' as he demands unwavering loyalty from a lover who has enjoyed his success while simultaneously engaging in a self-reminder of his own fallibility. His vocals sit well behind the orchestra as he delivers an R&B song that carries the emotions to inspire the sobriety needed to enjoy the single but not enough vocal elasticity to wow listeners.
The orchestra comes into play again on 'Pour Me A Drink' where Chike uses pop-rap style combined with soothing vocals to discuss the mental and emotional strain that comes with love. Chike puts on an operatic performance while supported by an orchestra as he grapples with the subject of loss in 'Nothing More, Nothing Less' as he explores the vulnerability that comes with losing someone dear.
The slow tempo ushered in by 'Zamo' and which was sustained in 'Pour Me A Drink' continued into 'You Deserve' where Chike joins forces with YCEE to deliver a sensational R&B song. On 'You Deserve' Chike explores the "It's not you, it's me" element that's common with modern love. YCEE laid a sensational verse over a perfect baseline that combined with the reverb to create what might be the best single on the album.
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'In 'Enough', Chike reminds us of the element of himself that he inexplicably attempts to strip off in his sophomore album. The delivery and cadence carry the sentimental touch that's needed to connect to Chike's exploration of the insecurity that comes with unrequited love.
Chike's 'Boo of the Booless' is considered a modern-day Afrobeats classic mainly because of its all-around quality and the no-skip nature of the album. His sophomore doesn't carry the same flawless album sequencing. 'Winner' has a Highlife progression and 'Bad' is an attempt at using crowd vocals and a 'Buga' style beat and delivery to score a commercial hit. Both singles can be fairly considered fillers and a selection of quite average songs that are arranged in succession to create a moment of weakness.
On 'Moving On', Chike uses Reggae to make it clear that he will not settle for less as he explores the subject of self-love. The single is another Pop offering that existing fans might struggle to digest. The exploration with Pop continues into 'Only God Knows,' he uses Hip Hop baseline.
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Chike returns to R&B as he closes the album with the 'Please' where he pleads that he be allowed to live in the moment and enjoy the fruits of his success without being overburdened by the expectations and demands of associates, friends, and family.
Final Points
In 'The Brother's Keeper', Chike tries to establish himself as a Popstar and a mainstream act. While some of the tracks in his debut album such as 'Nakupenda' and 'If You No Love Me' are essentially Pop, he makes a conscious and rather hasty decision to step away from the vital markers that endeared listeners to him.
In his sophomore album, Chike explores the different facets of love as he goes in search of mainstream fame while attempting to offer himself to a larger audience.
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Chike successfully delivered some top songs which when taken apart are great singles. However, as a project, there are some moments of sound dissonance where listeners can get lost in the sound. Similarly, there were some template songs that just didn't work such as 'Bad', 'My Africa', 'Winner', and 'Moving On'.
Overall, 'The Brother's Keeper' is a good album that is short of being great mainly due to Chike's ambitions. Perhaps, this is the price he pays to be a mainstream superstar.
Ratings: /10
• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
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• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion
Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.5/2
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Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.7/2
Production: 1.6/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.5/2
Execution: 1.6/2
Total: 7.9 - Victory
