Skales' Afro-fusion gives him a win on 'Temper'

After the release of his debut album “Man On Fire”,Skales has been on a bit of a dry spell. His creativity, which has been a strong part of his artistry deserted him, with a string of singles falling on deaf ears. Honestly, the songs were below par, poor creations which fed off a tired template, or just lacked the right sonic elements to make it catch on.

Then came a new nadir. On the mic, he struggled to be effective. Off the mic, he was caught up in new legal drama from his record label, which had him and his ex-manager, Osagie Osarenkhoe Okunkpulor, held at the Police Station in Lagos. The news ran wild with stories and scoops from the situation, as his $10 million release clause from his contract. He lost his manager, signed a new deal with Paul Okoye’s outfit Upfront And Personal, and released the tropical ‘Nobody’s business’ featuring Banky W.

But he picked that up a notch up with the muscular 'Ajaga' single which featured Timaya and Davido.

Where ‘Ajaga’ was a template hit for the club, ‘Temper’ has the singer chasing more success but walking a more serene path.

The new song is produced by KrisBeatz, the man who has seen his profile rise due to his work on Tekno’s 2016 mega-hit, ‘Pana’.

Featuring mellow drum arrangements, and a vacant rhythm, Skales plays with the spaces on this song to provide a minimalist delivery backed by sneaking horns, and syncopation. Inspiration from this comes from root Afrobeat, with echoes of Wizkid’s ‘Ojuelegba’ mixed with ‘Pana’ on the instrumentation. This sonic overlap is what instantly opens up the listener to this one, and sinks in at first listen.

Skales might not have a brand that effectively connects with fans, but you can’t fault his work rate. 2016 has had him produce a single in every quarter, sign up with telco brand MTN, and gone about his business in a low-key manner which enables him to celebrate his wins without media interferences.