'Morayo': It's Wizkid's world, you either fit in or not [Review]

Wizkid doesn’t reinvent the wheel with ‘Morayo’.

For the past 4 years, Wizkid has boldly walked an artistic path he paved with his 2020 R&B fusion album ‘Made In Lagos’. On his sixth LP ‘Morayo’, he keeps on this path with the album underscored by strikingly familiar elements.

Named after his late mother whom he lost in 2023, Wizkid dealt with this loss behind closed doors, but on ‘Morayo’, he lets listeners in on the album opener ‘Troubled Mind’. Fuji royalty Wasiu Ayinde‘s performance at his mother’s burial kicks off the track before Wizkid sings about myriads of emotions that accompany such heavy loss over familiar African drums.

While he pays tribute to his beloved late mother with the album title and on the opening track, his 16 tracks aren’t burdened with melancholy as some listeners might have expected given the title. Rather, Wizkid lends himself to the Afrobeats dancefloor while delivering quintessential elements of his artistry.

Ahead of the album’s release, many listeners expressed a craving for a return to the Wizkid that commanded the Afrobeats dancefloor.

Although he was willing to lean more towards Afrobeats (significantly more than he managed in his last two LPs) and explore familiar territories of R&B and Dancehall/Ragga, he decidedly carries along the parts of him he trusts the most. The lush melody, mid-tempo flow, and smooth patterned delivery are the common threads that run across the album.

Even for the production, he sticks to long-term collaborator P2J who has production credit on 14 songs.

Fans Afrobeats cravings are catered on the opening records where Wizkid chose to offer a taste of the old wine in new shiny silverware.

He crafts party starters ‘Kese (Dance)’, ‘Karamo’, ‘Bend’, and ‘Bad Girl’ feat Asake while maintaining the lush fusion that holds up his sound. On ‘Karamo’, his usual sweet melodies invite shy damsels to the dance floor before calling one old and young on the groovy Fuji fusing ‘Kese (Dance)’ where his flow doesn’t stray far away from the familiar.

Wizkid offers a good time only a superstar can afford on the mid-tempo bounce of ‘Bad Girl’, which frankly, flatters Asake more than it does him.

Since 2020, R&B has been central to Wizkid’s sound albeit he delivers this with the freedom of an Afrobeats act. He makes light work of the R&B fusion ‘Time’ with assistance from long-term collaborated Tay Iwar and Alternative music star Aylo. This song though a fine record in its own right might not blow many listeners out of the water perhaps because of its striking similarity.

He leans into a similar cadence on ‘POMH’ whose second part holds more excitement than the first. He blends R&B and Dancehall Ragga on ‘Break Me Down’ where he delivers easily digestible melodies.

Wizkid punctuates the album’s R&B core with a party break in the form of ‘Bend’ which is reminiscent of 2010s Afrobeats. This track appears to be one of the offerings for those craving a bit of the old Wizkid. This track is one some listeners might thoroughly enjoy for its dated flows while others might find it unbearable for the same reasons.

The R&B fusion that shapes the album takes on an Afrobeats core on ‘A Million Blessings’ where he introspects and celebrates his success. He combines seamlessly with French star Tiakola on the silky ‘Apres Minuit’ as he attempts to make further inroad in a part of the world familiar with his sound.

His ragga flow on ‘Bad For You’ is conspicuously present in parts of ‘Break Me Down’ and in several songs from his last two LPs. While familiar, it’s what the song demands with Jasmine Sulivan‘s tender vocals complimenting his own to make for a song that’s strongly positioned for success in the American R&B community.

‘While ‘Soji’ has one of the strongest hooks on the album and ‘Don’t Care’ offers a free-flowing version of Wizkid, they heavily straddle the realms of ‘Made In Lagos’ and ‘More Love, Less Ego’ with variants of the songs on both albums.

He adds utility to the album with ‘Slow’ his sensual duet with Anaïs Cardot that is picturesque of the naked bodies under silky bedsheets. The album R&B core peters out with the penultimate track ‘Lose’ where Wizkid channels familist flows to restate his desire to leave life on his terms.

He opens the album on an introspective note and it’s on this note that he closes off the album with ‘Pray’ where he revisits his journey to fame, celebrates the gains, and maintains a resolve to keep shining while his mom smiles at him from above.

In all, ‘Morayo’ excels mainly on stellar productions that don’t demand too much from Wizkid who maintains the R&B sonics and lush fusion that provide the album’s core.

Ahead of this album, some fans expressed a desire for Wizkid to take a step away from the R&B fusion he has explored since 2020. After his last ‘MLLE’ failed to reach the expected heights, listeners opined that it was perhaps time for the Grammy winner to head in a new direction.

‘Morayo’ puts a knife into this expectation as Wizkid essentially made an Afrobeats adjustment to ‘MLLE’. He makes it clear that this is his world and listeners will either have to fit in or not.

Perhaps, the major letdown for most is the fact that the album lacks the boisterousness to live up to the moments that precede it. ‘Morayo’ was meant to be a big moment and Wizkid saw to it that the magnitude of the occasion wasn’t lost on listeners as the previously reticent star courted public attention with headline-making social media posts.

For those who have come to love Wizkid’s R&B fusion and lush approach, this is another one for the cool night, dance floor, and silk bedsheets. For others, there might not be enough excitement to make them stick around.

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