Samod Biobaku takes an artistic look at award-winning singer, ETCETERA

Music Review

Etcetera’s coloured brush

By Samod Biobaku

Sixthsense34@yahoo.com

For Etcetera, music holds the couloured brush of originality and expression in its raw form.

His brand of music offers a first time listener the opportunity to listen to music that is devoid of the artificial complexities that have rendered hundreds of careers into the pits of synthetic damnation.

In his album, ‘Yes I am,’ Etcetera offers 15 tracks of purity, rhythmic flow, a conversational blend of music and melody and a glaring dose of his African roots.

He doesn’t get entwined in the band wagon web of limitation that has today, held many prisoners in their own jails.

Without an iota of doubt, his originality, musical composition and creativity stand forth as monuments of his musical crusade and it’s not too difficult to understand why this artiste has been able to remain a vibrant brand in Nigeria’s ever competitive music scene.

The thematic focus of his songs also hold depth and this perhaps explains why he was able to upstage quite a number of already established acts at the 2009 edition of the Hip Hop World Awards to clinch the award for ‘Best Recording of the Year.’

With tracks like ‘Post Card,’ ‘The Accent of Silence,’ ‘Cest Fini,’ Federal Character without Bad Manners,’ ‘Third Eye Blind,’ ‘Ghost Workers beside Ikoyi Cemetery,’ ‘ Alibi (Featuring OD),’ ‘500 letters,’ ‘Ring the Alarm,’ ‘Teleprompter,’ ‘Intensive Care Unit,’ ‘Tourist in Heaven,’ ‘Fungus Among Us,’ ‘Get Out (Featuring JB) and ‘Alibi (Unplugged),’ it’s a musical testimony to his abilities and how far he could go if given the ear, eye and proper management to produce an Asa, Nneka, Seun Kuti or perhaps, something even greater.

He casts his net over timeless love songs that strike with the precision of a golfer enjoying an unforgettable moment.

Unlike others like him, he does not box himself into constructing love songs alone. Rather, he dabbles into a cross section of deep subject matters in different tracks – In some, he laments the silent pains of the oppressed and in others, Etcetera simply lets his heart fly in a musical soliloquy capable of sustaining a career.

The fact that he composed all the songs on his album is a conspicuous pointer to the level of hard work that the singer puts into keeping his dream alive.

All through the entire album, he rides on the solo train except for two tracks; one where he features OD and the other where he collaborates with JB.

In all, when one understands how a single human mind stands forth with the piano, , keyboard, strings, acoustic and bass guitar, drums and other African musical instruments, the horizon opens up to reveal the ageless chariot of good music waiting to carry artistes who dare to take it’s reigns.