A Review of Omah Lay Boy Alone Album. Boy Alone: A Symphony Of Introspection and Hedonism

No one could have predicted that the boy — Stanley Omah Didia from PH will carry so much of the conversation and plaudits on his shoulders. After his first pandemic dominance in 2020 with viral hit songs like "Bad Influence", "Godly", and "LoLo. Just like a thief in the night, within two years of arrival in the music limelight, the sonorous Nigerian songwriter and musician has been on the frontier of sculpting and oiling the "Afrobeat to the world" move.

Omah Lay has never missed a beat, a step, or any chance to advance artistically — because one consistent thing about him is the uncanny ability of his records to be instant hits. His debut EP "Get Layd" and sophomore EP "What Have We Done" are big testament to this fact.

In Boy Alone, Omah lay runs on the same template, but this time, he reinforces his lyrical dexterity with a fourteen-track session, headlined by the emotive "Attention" and the romantic "Woman" lead singles.

Infused with Omah Lay's signature afro-infused melody, Recognize is enriched by his smooth vocals in the intro, “Only the real fit recognize, oh yeah, oh yeah, Only the ship wey believe e no go capsize, How you go look me for eye, say me no dey try?". Concise, but embodies an emotional feeling of the introspective Omah.

On "I", the low-tempo beat comes with a catchy refrain in its hook that amplifies the "suffer suffer no fit me" rhetoric of the track. This track flow is thematically similar to Fireboy's Afar ft Olamide. It's a bright tune.

"Bend You" is a sensual song infused with guitar ticks and the upbeat flow blend as he goes about expressing his lust over a (female) love interest. "take me like a thief in the night" and "Bend you uuuuhhhh, Bend you uhhhhhh, Na you go talk wetin you come do, Uuuhhhhh" are lyrics that hint at assertiveness.

"I'm a mess" is less sensualized and more introspective. Omah begs for clarity as he's clouded by life's bewilderment which has made him indulge in cognac. The lines "Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes I’m sad, I don’t know what’s over me" register emotion. Aided by an electric guitar, this song dwells on the disillusionment that accompanies life.

"Temptations" Chorus is all things bright and beautiful. "My rizzler When I dey down, I roll one, To go back up, Oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, My day one, From way back you dey there, You no give up" tells you all you need to know about the track. He sings for his Rizzler — a French brand of rolling papers of tobacco or marijuana rolled to make handmade joints and cigarettes. His companion, as a lonely boy, keeps him high; when he's down. The delivery and the use of innuendos in the song make the vulgarity enchanting.

"Never Forget", "Soso" and "How To Luv" are pure afrobeat singles, while the first is laced with sax tune, the second and the third track is an Amapiano sound laced with guitar ticks and accompanied by wide percussive basslines. Fluidy delivery. His flow on these three tracks gets you lost in the music. A total abdication of free will to a vibration.

"Safe Haven" is a slice of heaven. The choral background voice levitates your mind and soul through the rhythm and flow. Omah Lay's vocal gives goosebumps here. A soulful tune.

"Purple Song" is too chaotic. This track is expected to visualize the album's feeling through the semblance of the album cover colour. The production here is flawed and you can barely hear Omah lay's vocals.

"Woman" is one of the pre-released songs on the album. The song is all you need to know about a track that is centered on post-pubescent romance and movie-like fantasies about undying love. "Everything I do, I do for my woman"

There's a part of the first verse that sounds like he's endorsing reckless unprotected sex. "Anytime I knack/I knack without/rubber band, no rubber band/if I no pull out, she got my back" But who doesn't love good bad boys? That's Omah Lay on this track.

"Tell Everybody" and "Attention" is Omah lay's attempt at spreading his music tentacles outside his continent boundaries by featuring the Nigerian neo-soul singer, "Tay Iwar" and the Canadian Pop and R&B singer "Justin Bieber" respectively.

As an artist with a real chance at pop success, Tay Iwar should be credited for bringing a pop flavour to "Tell Everybody". It's a brilliant record. Although, in "Attention"; Omah lay tried so hard to sound too pop by leaving his rawness where his voice appears to have been autotuned. Justin Bieber's effort in the song is commendable.

With the "Boy Alone" Album, it's a kind of music that takes time to marinate, the first listening, the second listening, and the third listening, you're still trying to immerse yourself into the new Omah Lay. The production on this album cannot match the quality of his EPs. It's no doubt that some sections of his fan base might hold a lingering refusal to move past the brilliance of his debut EPs — "Get Layed"; & "What Have We Done" but this new album will surely push his boundaries and the acceptance of his magic on the album will be gradual.

Rating:

Delivery: 6/10

Songwriting: 8/10

Relatability: 10/10

Mixing and Production: 5/10

Do you think "Boy Alone" is the best of Omah Lay's projects? What's your thought about the album?