It’s been a while Davido offered us a body of work.
His last project, Son of Mercy which dropped in 2016 was an experimental project at testing his RnB game and while that project had a loss of attachment from Nigerians who were amazed at the switch up of their favourite artiste whose club banging sound they had been used to all along.
His sophomore held much promise. The roll-out for the album documented the good and emotional times he and his team had while creating the body of work. Fans were of course prepped, energy was activated and the universe was alerted a sound was about to be activated.
The intro to A Good Time welcomes us to an experience awaiting us. Over Guitar riffs, Davido expresses himself here with delicacy and grace. From its cascade of the opening piano notes – “Omo na vanity” are felicitous first words.
From a sombre mood, there’s a switch up in sound and theme on “1 Milli” and “Check Am”. Upbeat tempo as he sings about his woman’s bride price on 1 Milli and over dotting melodies and marching drums on “Check Am”, Davido slides in and delivers with the perfect minimalism. The hook, beat and whole delivery are in sync here.
At this point, you’re shaking your head.
“Disturbance” bears much semblance to Peruzzi’s “Majesty” and it’s one of those tracks that will be skipped. Basic and offers nothing new.
At a point you’ll have to wonder if Davido is back to the RnB game he was rejected for by Nigerians in 2016. The sonic palette in sound and theme doesn’t reflect much expansion as all along Davido still sings about his woman. The production is great and makes heavy use of melodies and less of the basics of afrobeats Davido is accustomed to. The club banging, heavy kick drums are missing.
“D&G” will sure receive a lot of love as it sees Davido walk the Summer Walker’s terrain of laid back, slow groove RnB. Slow and sultry, he shifts from anger to love making mention of her infatuation with designers.
From here on, nearly every track offers some combination of good vibes, good drink, good company, good sex and… good times in general.
Fall was one of the records that helped get Davido back into the scene in 2017. Fundamental kick drums ushered over repeated melodies, Fall gained notoriety for its seemingly sexual indicating lyrics.
There’s a continuation of Afro beat here but there’s a weak delivery here by Davido as returns to his usual playbook – obsessing about his woman. There’s an extension of this on Big Picture.
What has elevated Davido on this album has been the exceptional production that shines through the album. There’s outstanding pop writing but many will question Davido for sticking to singing about women all along.
One thing, Assurance, Blow My Mind are all pop heavy records but you’re wondering if Davido isn’t back to the harrowing events of 2016 after Son of Mercy was released.
Where did the Afro beat go to? You wished for the extension of money talk, you want to groove and lose consciousness, you want to self reflect and sink in Thoughts of life but A Good Time sounds one dimensional. You had a good time listening, the sound was great but the delivery in lyrics berated the excellent melodies and sound arrangements. You have extended wants and wish for more.
There’s also the absence of “THAT HIT SONG” which is a characteristic of albums. It’s missing on A Good Time as there are just many good tracks but the project lacks mind blowing singles.
Overall, Davido wants you to have a good time, doesn’t want to remind you of life troubles but as associated with Wizkid’s Sounds From The Other Side, Nigerians don’t appreciate deluxe body of works, if it’s not doubled down beats and repeated lyrics, they’re not in full support.
But then, Davido is looking at World domination with A Good Time, when it happens, you’ll embrace this project fully.
Words: Otolorin Olabode
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