A REVIEW OF OXLADE’S OXYGENE
The year 2019 has been dubbed the year of the underdogs as we saw a handful of talented albeit relatively unknown artistes burst into mainstream consciousness like wildfire. Names like Rema, Fireboy, Joeboy & Tems were on everybody’s lips as they all served up monster hits that flooded various charts and airwaves. Last year was largely unprecedented as several older acts had to take the back burner or simply watch from the sidelines. While these news acts were enjoying massive coverage and acclaim, there were a few others just like them lurking in the industry shadows waiting to get their big break. One of such acts is Oxlade.
Oxlade first caught the public eye back in 2018 when he popped up on Chocolate City/100 Crowns signee, Blaqbonez’s debut album, delivering a sonorous and captivating hook on stand-out track, Mamiwota. He followed up with solid singles in Shugar & Ojoro and later that year, a viral video on Instagram earned him a co-sign from DMW Label boss, Davido. He carried this momentum into the next year and landed himself a feature with StarBoy official Dj, Dj Tunez on Causing Trouble, a song which ultimately earned him a performance at Dj Tunez’s Blackout show in London and another at StarBoy Fest alongside Wizkid.
While Oxlade might have managed to garner a sizable following and ended the year with a Rookie of the Year nomination from the Headies and a performance of a lifetime at the renown 02 Arena, he still remained relatively unknown to many. There have been talks about Oxlade’s immense talent around the crevices of the music industry and amongst fans but he didn’t have a body of work to show for it. However on the 27th of March, Oxlade finally released his highly anticipated debut project, OXYGENE.
It is no surprise the project opens with a song titled O2 which alludes to both the album title and his landmark moment at the O2 Arena. This song sees Oxlade make cliché promises and declarations to his love interest. The classic line ‘You are the air that I breathe’ has never taken anyone’s breath away. His canorous harmonies and chants, however, saves this song as is the case for most of the songs on this project.
AWAY, the lead single to the project is catchy and bouncy. Spax’s drums and guitar licks come together nicely to set the table for Oxlade’s captivating vocals. However, lyrically, he lets himself down. Not only does the bridge sound like a nursery rhyme, his request to fly away with his love interest doesn’t seem as enticing as he begins his first verse with ‘Girl I wanna be your owner’.
KOKOSE, the subsequent track is obviously tailor-made for Instagram and Tik-Tok dance videos as it possesses just the right amount of bounce, groove and rhythm.
On WEAKNESS, arguably the strongest song on the project, Oxlade displays his mastery of harmony and compelling vocal ability as he sings about being hung up on someone supposedly not meant for him. He’s at his most relatable as he sings ‘You be my weakness and you be my sickness and I don’t want to cure myself from you’ with so much conviction. The outro of the song is what has rightly earned him a comparison with veteran pop musician, Wande Coal as he uses his brilliant falsetto to convey his emotions and usher us into the last track, TABLES TURN.
Here, Oxlade is back to the clichés as he sings about the classic grace to grass story: ‘Tables turn, e fit be your turn today, tomorrow make e be my turn’. He’s supported by the only featured artiste on the project, Moelogo who unsurprisingly outshines Oxlade both vocally and lyrically. The project closes with a voice note from his grandmother who showers prayers on Oxlade and ends by saying ‘Ìràwọ̀ rẹ yóò tàn, ọwọ́ ayé ò dẹ̀ ní le bòó mọ́lẹ̀’ which loosely translates to you’ll be a star and no one would be able to stop you.
Oxlade is obviously a star in the making. He possesses all the qualities to be one, he is however not there yet and OXYGENE is proof of this. Even though he has a unique vocal ability and an impressive knack for harmony and melody, lyrically, he leaves much to be desired. You can sometimes sense the genuineness in Oxlade’s words and stories, he however mostly delves into clichés, not only lyrically but sonically as well.
While this project might have exposed some of Oxlade’s flaws, it definitely also showcases his undeniable talent. OXYGENE is a foot forward for Oxlade, and while it might not be his strongest foot, it’s a step in the right direction and hopefully, the only way from here is up.
