#Throwback Review: Fireboy DML Brilliantly Introduces Himself With Debut Album “Laughter, Tears And Goosebumps”
(originally published in the Opera News Hub)
The past fourteen months have been interesting for Fireboy DML.
Since he got signed to Olamide’s YBNL label in October 2018, he’s had two hit singles that have been well received by the listening public, he has performed at the O2 Arena, and he has been heralded as an integral part of a new school of Nigerian musicians, a school which includes acts like Rema and Joeboy, both young artists thriving in their own right.
Not everyone makes the bold move to put out an album within a year from their full integration into the music industry, but on November 29, 2019 Fireboy DML released a full-length project named Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps. Curious in its nomenclature, the album is 13 tracks long and holds out a listening time of about 40 minutes, with significant production effort coming from industry favourite Pheelz.
The album gets off to a start with “Need You”, whose acoustics are reminiscent of Adekunle Gold’s “Orente”. Here, a love-struck Fireboy attempts to serenade with lyrics like “you sweet pass mango/you sweet pass agbalumo” and in the second verse he crowns his similes with “I miss you like an idiot misses the point/I need you like ‘eko’ needs ‘moi moi’ ”. The references to nutrition are a tad humourous, but then, the beauty of a lover has always been equated to sweet food.
“Vibration” bears an instrumentation that is vaguely similar to Joeboy’s “Baby”, but it holds its own amidst a mid-tempo vibe. “Scatter”, the third track on the project, is an ultra-groovy tune that is so infectious that even those averse to dancing would find difficult to resist, with the “are you ready?” refrain contributing its own bit. “Energy” sees Fireboy DML resume his serenading, confidently reminding his love interest that “I get shy when I look at you/but I nor be ‘bolo’...”
“Jealous”, a track that has enjoyed airplay as one of the year’s biggest hit singles, is a continuation of the stuck-on-love narrative. He channels a vocal range that Kizz Daniel would have been proud of you in “Like I Do”, a slow-tempo ballad. It’s all about reciprocal energy and dance moves in “Gbas Gbos” where he pleads with the subject of his attention to ”give me your low waist/make I balance”.
On “King” Fireboy DML grows weary of wooing as he croons “me, I fit fight for your love/but I nor fit beg for your love”. The tempo switches up significantly in “Omo Ologo”, a track which could have blended perfectly in Sarz’ SINYM EP. A Nigerian album is hardly complete without references to celebration and triumphing over enemies, and that’s the focus of “High on Life”.
By the time “Feel” - a track that would go down as one of the album’s fillers – starts to play, it’s hard not to feel that things are winding up. “What If I Say” - his other hit single - attempts to preserve some momentum with its sonorous backing vocals, before he closes out with “Wait And See”, a track bordering on the prophetic, similar to the title track on the Grammy-nominated African Giant.
There are a few goosebumps and hardly any tears that would be drawn by this album, but there’s definitely lots of laughter. The production is top-notch, the songwriting is decent, and there is a lot of sound experimentation that actually works. It’s tempting to draw comparisons to Wande Coal’s debut Mushin To Mo Hits, but while that’s a tough call, this body of work is impressive in its own way. The vocals and musical flavour on each track subtly hint at influences from the likes of Djinee and Adekunle Gold, while at the same time aiding Fireboy DML in the quest to stamp his own voice. LGT has its less colourful moments, but ultimately, it’s not a bad introduction for the 23-year-old.
Rating: 3.5/5
