A review of selected Chike’s songs written by Busayo Fakunle is a lovely piece that talks more about his music.
What’s your favourite Chike’s song?
Music being an art that goes beyond mere expression of ideas and emotions in melodically rhythmic form stirs, calms one’s nerves and sometimes blows cold breeze under a scorching sun, blazing at noon especially when it’s a love song.
A well weaved love song takes one on a journey of loneliness, heartbreaks, and break-ups yet makes one want to fall and get lost in love again. It makes one to want to share a lake, full of wondrous sights all alone with a loved one, romancing the beautiful world of nature, deciding together decades to come, wishing there is no such word as ‘dawn’.
A love song is a charm –pulling one’s heart unexpectedly to doing loveable things; yes, a love song is charming –kills grief, gives hope and takes one from boredom to a world where there is no day or night.
And with the current convoy of economic challenges and problems that humanity is bedeviled with –ranging from poverty, domestic violence to war and many others, it is far important to appreciate, engage love songs and most importantly the apostles of love songs. There is a subtle but significant way love songs offer peace to this warring world.
In Nigeria, notably are the works from my favourite artiste, Johnny Drille. But then, there is now an addition of Chike. Why Chike? Saying what people have been saying for ages past in a creatively different way is such a herculean task. For me, meeting Chike is like what the Christians call being ‘re-born again’. The creative song writer is the new love bird flying around but wanting people to remain caged by love.
Unarguably, Chike’s voice is heavenly. Each piece of his work hits like drops of rain in drought. How do you let go of a gentle soul’s soft hand who has come with innumerable blessings? Chike’s lyrics aren’t just loving but also loveable. He has this excellent laying of words with appropriate diction that are creatively selected in producing each song. His evident understanding of literary techniques manifests in his songs and that makes each rendition magical. Suffice to call him a poet.
For instance, in ‘If you no love’, the first two lines of each verse are metaphorical. Have you not listened to it? Which actually have you? There are obvious extended use of metaphor in most of Chike’s songs and constantly spiced up with wry irony that makes him totally unavoidable.
The internal rhymes are so poetic and that can only be done by a master. Did you not notice the pun in ‘Roju’? Have you heard ‘Forever’, ‘insecure’, ‘Friend Zone’? Aren’t these lines saying so much than mere words;
‘Give me your heart, I no go run away
Show me your love, I no go use you play
Carry me go, I go follow way’
Have you also listened to ‘Nakupenda’? The simple use of simile in the first verse gives us a clearer picture of a pretty lady in love, but struggling with self on approaching a man she loves. Isn’t that just the reality with some young ladies? By the way, is anything wrong in a lady professing her love for a man she admires? I don’t think so.
‘… you looking at me three times in a row
If you want to say hello
Just say hello
I think you look so pretty
You look like superghetti
Like you are needing some love
I don’t know but I’ve seen that look before
And if you don’t say hello
I will say hello.’
Also, Chike like Johnny Drille understands the importance of repetition as an indispensable literary tool to inscribing messages in the hearts of listeners. Didn’t you observe that in ‘Forgive, Running’ etc.?
In ‘Soldier’, Chike’s persistent use of anaphoric lines to driving home his message tells about his brilliant power of creatively weaving words. This is similar to what is obtainable in ‘Spell’:
‘Pardon me, baby
Pardon me na…/
Uh, the truth be say, I no use my eye
Uh, the truth be say, I no use my eye…’
How can you not love Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka! He is a magnificent vocalist, who has mastered processes of marrying voices from each musical instrument with his enthralling voice to delivering exquisite melodies. The injection of indigenous language with which he sings sometimes is rare, or rather unique.
‘Enough’ is my most favourite song. In fact, ‘Enough’ isn’t enough for me to listen to once. I do many times. The song slaps, yet caresses.
The Reviewer
Busayo Fakunle is a Diction coach, poet, publisher, book/song reviewer and children’s author. He is a Fellow of Ebediwriters International Writers Residency, Fellow of Imodoye Writers Enclave and the current Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Ana Oyo State Chapter .
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