A personal account into Bayanni EP [Pulse Review]

It was a Tuesday. Mails were slamming against the core of my tired body. I had spent the previous preview, embroiled in the unforgettable and thrilling adjudication of over 11,000 African songs in eight days. The week also came with uncertain news that rocked the essence of my drive and affected my interest. In hindsight, AFRIMA adjudication was definitely a blessing.

Four weeks before that Tuesday and aside from the AFRIMA experiences, which introduced me to a myriad of music from across our beautiful continent, I had also found genuine excitement hard to come by: the type that used to get me on the edge of my seat. This was despite my realization that the quality of Nigerian bodies of work had continually improved as the year has progressed.

Bayanni EP was an exception. Perhaps it was the circumstance, perhaps not. Perhaps it was the quality of the music, perhaps not. One thing is certain: MAVIN’s new recruit gave me an excitement that I hadn’t felt in weeks. And my God, I had missed that feeling: the thudding drums on ‘Ta Ta Ta’ and ‘Body,’ Andre Vibez’s violin riffs on ‘Body,’ and the bass that defined ‘Ta Ta Ta,’ which is crying for a Ruger verse.

By himself, Bayanni’s biggest asset is his powerful falsetto. He seems to unintentionally apply those vocals to the topic at hand. On the emotional and family-oriented ‘Family,’ he sounds like a reformed ‘Mama Said Boy,’ in a similar mold to T Dollar, TI Blaize, Dany Cruzz or Bella Shmurda, but with a much reduced Fuji essence, and with a more R&B essence.

Bayanni on ‘Family’ sounds like a scenario where American singer Lloyd was born in Akure, and attended Aquinas Boys Grammar School. But on more sensual and/or romantic records like ‘Body’ and ‘Ta Ta Ta,’ his vocals beguiled the sensuality that was required to deliver those records - especially the latter.

This type of ability to emote with your vocals, as well as ability to produce adlibs like “ah ah ah,’ to mimic the euphoric breath that emerges during coitus, will serve him well as he progresses in his career.

All in all, this was an accomplished EP. It is possibly MAVIN’s best EP debut since Crayon EP. It is definitely this writer’s fave since Rema EP. All four songs are single-worthy, and they can do well, if they get proper placements and marketing.

Ratings: /10

• 0-1.9: Flop

• 2.0-3.9: Near fall

• 4.0-5.9: Average

• 6.0-7.9: Victory

• 8.0-10: Champion

Pulse Rating: /10

8.5 - Champion