After all the excitement of a joint EP from two of the
most talented acts in Nigeria, Simi & Falz, I decided to
give this 7-track project a review.
Chemistry got a lot
of well deserved hype before its released, and was one
of the most anticipated projects of the year. So did it
live up to the expectations? Yes & No.
The EP starts off with ‘Foreign‘, and immediately starts
to show off part of what made Falz & Simi very
popular; The ability to handle a theme in the most
comic of ways, but still send a message across.
Foreign is a satire of a song that makes fun of the
many Nigerians who ‘by fire by force’ must act and talk
like they are not only bigger than they actually are, but
very foreign. The idea that being foreign somehow
makes you better is one that’s all over Nigerian
society. But the idea alone didn’t sell this song, the
execution was A+, and for a first time listen, it’s just
what you’d want to hear.
However, the standout track in the EP is the title track,
Chemistry. In many ways it’s almost the perfect Falz &
Simi song. It’s what you’d think of when you think of
them together, and when you listen closely you might
be able to catch some subtle messages they might be
trying to tell fans. “I know I, kinda maybe really do like
you, maybe me and you we can try to, do this love
something, maybe there’s something there.” With that
line it summarizes the whole electric atmosphere
around the two that has been evident since they
started working together.
Other good listens on the project include Cinderella
and Shake Your Body, which brings out the fuji party in
our blood. Both songs are similar in many ways, but
for the tempo. Very good listens, and if you were to
hear them at parties, you’d think they were straight out
of KSA’s catalog.
Show You Pepper might be the down track on the
album (for me anyways). It comes off as a bit, and
quite honestly, pretty cheesy. Lyrically it didn’t seem to
hit the spot (from both Simi & Falz), though I got the
general idea of the song.
Overall, the EP is a very good one. In a period where
creativity and out-of-box thinking is fading in Nigerian
music, Falz & Simi capitalized on a very good working
relationship *coughs*, and put out a project that will
only get more appreciated with time. Many Nigerian
artists can only dream of having someone they have
this kind of chemistry with, let alone put out a full joint
project.
However (they had to be one), the negative for
Chemistry is that it’s born with very high expectations.
When you compare it to Simi’s Restless EP, Falz’
Stories That Touch, and the songs they’d put out
together (most notably Jamb Question Remix &
Soldier) you can see how Chemistry falls a bit short.
But it’s still a great project.
