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“OFA” Review: Oxlade’s Emotional Range Shines in His Debut Album

“OFA” Review: Oxlade’s Emotional Range Shines in His Debut Album

OFA

If the discussion about the resurgence of R&B is genuine, OFA positions Oxlade as a leading artiste who has boldly embraced the genre with his craft.

By Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera

At the onset of the new decade, the Nigerian singer and songwriter, Oxlade, with his early EPs, Oxygene (2020) and Eclipse (2021), proved himself as one of the best male vocalists from the Nigerian music industry. His high-pitched singing, charming voice and ability to deliver heartfelt hooks on featured tracks have caused quite the sensation over the years. From his sensual love songs to his heartfelt heartbreak croons, there have been glimpses of his potential to become one of the finest artistes of his generation.

However, for years, he has seemed to struggle with taking his craft seriously, and his output has cast doubt on whether he has truly dedicated himself to it. Having broken into the limelight in the music industry since 2020, some of his dedicated listeners have looked forward without reward to an album from him. And it is not until approaching the last quarter of 2024, that his first LP, OFA (Oxlade From Africa), finally appeared.

OFA opens with a reflection on the 2020 ENDSARS protests, specifically the brutalisation of Oxlade’s manager, Ojahbee, by members of the Nigerian armed forces, which left him with a brain injury. This traumatic event is revisited in the album’s intro, D PTSD Interlude, where an audio performance of the incident is accompanied by a voiceover from Ugandan activist and politician, Bobi Wine. This track stands out as the only one on the album that leans toward social consciousness.

Of the 16 tracks on OFA, 13 focus on themes of love, romance, heartbreak, and sensuality, making the album definitively an Afro-R&B project. The primary emotion one gets from the experience of listening to this album is one of beauty and pleasure (this is particularly true when he sings about love, or in an attempt to serenade), and then there are his songs over the years, like Ojuju, which is not in this album where he questions love—a theme he revisits with his 2023 hit, “Intoxycated”, featuring British-Nigerian rapper, Dave, which also makes it onto this album.

OFA
OFA

Obviously a project a few years in the making, OFA features every track the artiste has released since 2022, including his massive hit “Ku Lo Sa” and the 2023 chart-topper “Intoxycated”. With guest appearances from a diverse array of talents like Bobi Wine, Popcaan, Fally Ipupa, Dave, Flavour, Wande Coal, Sarkodie, Tomi Owo, and Ojahbee, the album’s lineup promised a rich and varied musical input from across the African music scene and beyond.

The features in the song are well curated from Sarkodie’s very beautiful verse which starts off with an Igbo phrase, “Omalicha Biko” to delivering a riveting verse with very impressive wordplay: to Flavour’s very beautiful rendition in “Ovami” a song which combines the exultatory quality of a Nigerian gospel song and the immersive quality of a love song; to Fally Ipupa’s very beautiful singing in IFA in French which literally is the language of romance. 

The album, through these features, embraces a deliberate curation of the poetic and sensual beauty that R&B evokes. One of the standout moments comes with Asunasa, the most playful track on the project, featuring Wande Coal—arguably Nigeria’s finest vocalist. Coal’s influence on a new generation of singers like Oxlade, Fireboy, and Lojay is unmistakable, making his contribution all the more significant. 

Oxlade
Oxlade

In the album, comedy, wordplay and sensuality intermingle in the songs. And these are some of the qualities which distinguish Oxlade. His penchant for wordplay is obvious in the way he crafts his lyrics and titles his songs. The project features clever twists like “Ku Lo Sa” (Closer), “Ovami (Over me), “Ifa” (If I), “Asunasa” (As Soon As I), and “Katigori” (Category). 

These linguistic manipulations divert the listener’s mind from the immediate meanings of the songs. While the meanings form the foundation of Oxlade’s lyrics, the listening experience allows for a space of imagination, where the sensual quality of the songs elicits a novel sensation that arises from the listener’s interpretation. 

This is very evident in songs like “Ifa”, “Ku Lo Sa” and even his earlier hit “O2”. Even the title of the album, OFA is used to create a new word from its acronym which is used in the final song of the project. These qualities are also the most spectacular aspect of Oxlade’s song writing because his songs transcends the cerebral and they are often visceral in quality. 

It is for this reason that the song, “Piano” has its peculiar appeal for how it contrasts the act of soliciting love to the art of creating music from the piano, which makes for fantastic poetry by Afrobeats standard.

OFA tracklist
OFA tracklist

Oxlade’s public persona over the years has not really been the best. With a scandal coming to the full glare of the public after his sextapes leaked, and having put out songs not very consistently, considering the magnitude of his talent, has raised questions. This talent is evident not only in his successful tracks but also in his guest appearances on projects by artistes such as Basketmouth, Show Dem Camp, and Melvitto—where his vocal dexterity has been nothing short of excellent. 

It has not been the best of reputation to be at the top for over five years without an album to his name. His failure to consolidate on the raving success of “Ku Lo Sa” further showed that he wasn’t quite “there” as an artiste in terms of output and seriousness.

However, in 2024, “OFA” emerges as a breath of fresh air, especially at a time when R&B music is facing criticism for its decline. This album solidifies Oxlade’s persona as a lover boy. 

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The album is hence a good attempt at recreating the image of a lovestruck and poetic artiste, who in his art, wears his heart on his sleeves and sometimes bares his vulnerability, which is part of what a great R&B album should do. If the discussion about the resurgence of R&B is genuine, OFA positions Oxlade as a leading artiste who has boldly embraced the genre with his craft. 

Lyricism – 1.2

Tracklisting – 1.3

Sound Engineering – 1.6

Vocalisation – 1.7

Listening Experience – 1.6

Rating – 6.2/10

Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera is a writer and community builder. He is the author of the novel, “Loss is an Aftertaste of Memories.” Follow him on Twitter @Chukwuderaedozi

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