Victony's 'Outlaw' EP review

Months after releasing his debut EP, tragedy struck and Victony was locked in a battle for his life. To the delight and relief of fans and colleagues, Victony won the battle. However, the accident made him known to those who weren't conversant with his music.

For artists, their music is their primary identity and anything else is secondary. And when the secondary replaces the primary, any self-respecting artist would be concerned.

There was a burden to prove his talent, and Victony set out to discharge this burden. He covered himself in glory in a handful of collaborations notably Mayorkun's Holy Father and Savage's Rosemary.

While Victony's talent rang loudly in these collaborations, the audience still wanted to know if he can do it alone. Performing in collaborations is one thing while performing alone is a whole different story. It appears Victony was a victim of the doubt that BNXN's debut EP planted in the hearts of fans.

'Outlaw' EP is Victony's answer to the question posed to him by skeptics who needed convincing, and fans who needed confirmation of his talent.

With 'Outlaw' EP, Victony announces himself as one who is not ready to kowtow to the industry standard of imposed modesty on upcoming talents.

Listeners who are conversant with Victony's sound would have known what to expect from the EP. There was going to be lots of melodious singing, catchy phrases, pictures-esque chic flick impressions, bad boy vibes, sexual innuendos, and some vulnerability.

'Outlaw' delivers on all expectations but doesn't do much beyond that. It's expected but not entirely boring. It's enjoyable but not necessarily mind-blowing. And as far as the writing goes, the EP doesn't break the new grounds, even though it represents Victony's evolution.

From the first track 'Outlaw', Victony speaks about his struggles, his detractors, and the role of a superior force in his life. His singing is simple, calm, and melodiously progressive. The opening lines rhyme well with the patois opener and the writing is decent. 'Champion Boy' is a recurring phrase on the track which is a declaration of what Victony considers himself, as a confident, yet soft-spoken artist.

Chop & Slide is Victony's version of a Smash and Dash situation only that this time, he's at the receiving end. Again, the singing is simple and progressive. Victony paints a sexual picture that's complemented by the slow bounce and subtle sound of the beat.

Apollo is Victony's play for an Amapiano hit. While it's an enjoyable single, it possibly needed notable lines.

The song could have really used a "Hello, you carry baka like ah philo" kind of line. Rememberable lines are the soul of Amapiano hits and its absence in Apollo was a great disservice to the song.

Perhaps, lines such as "everything dey for your body. It's a miracle-working body. My resurrection dey for your body" was intended to be catchy, but they quite honestly, fall flat like other parts of the song. Enjoyable no less but the lack of catchy lines and catchy flows makes Apollo forgettable.

"All power belongs to your bum bum" is a line that would have served a better purpose on Apollo. All Power sounds like a Rema-inspired song and while those who enjoy Victony's singing will enjoy this song, others might not.

The hook is nice and catchy but that's really all there's to the single. While All Power rides so much on Victony's singing ability, the melody maintains the same pitch from start to finish which makes it sound monotonous.

Victony is a singer and while he doesn't have the vocal elasticity of Brymo and Wande Coal, he knows how to use his voice. His singing strength was on full display on Jolene and Soweto. Both singles are really good, especially as the latter had Victony sounding like Omah Lay.

'Outlaw' is propelled by melody and non-stop singing complemented by mid-tempo beats and subtle strings. Some listeners might find it entertaining and others might find it slightly monotonous. The writing is okay. And while 'Outlaw' and Chop & Slide have decent writing, Victony's writing isn't at the level he should be quoting Omah Lay's pen game tweet with "LOL".

Overall, 'Outlaw' is a good EP with decent tracks. The production does about enough to put Victony in his comfort zone where he can freely and confidently express himself. It also has enough enjoyable songs that satisfy different cravings. And while the EP might sound monotonous at some point, its twenty minutes length makes it easy to listen to.

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

Album Sequencing: 1.4/2

Themes, Songwriting and Delivery: 1.3/2

Production: 1.5/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.8/2

Execution: 1.6/2