Album Review: 27 – Falz

Rapper Falz pulled a Beyonce in the
twilight months (October) of 2017 when
he dropped his third album on an
unsuspecting audience. The title 27 ,
named for his present age, though,
recalled British songstress and
vanquisher of Beyonce for the Album of
the Year Grammy, Adele in spirit. The top
selling, award hogging Adele is in the
habit of naming her albums by her age at
time of recording.

Produced by Falz regular collaborator,
Sess the Problem Kid with occasional
support from Maleek Berry and Studio
Magic, 27 is one of those safe records
that artistes make while they are at that
sweet spot when they are still basking in
the glory of superstardom, yet unsure of
what direction to go next.
If there is anything surprising about 27
beyond the suddenness of its release, it is
that for a Falz record, especially coming
after 2015’s excellent Stories that Touch ,
album number three is quite square and
unable to thrill.

This thrill factor and willingness to
explore as many themes and musical
styles as possible is strangely absent
here, replaced instead by a familiar
reliance on afropop music tropes. Looking
back, this was predicted by the precursor
singles Jeje and Bahd Badoo Baddest that
accompanied 27’s release. Only the
humor laced Something Light with a
light-on-his-feet Ycee seemed to hint of
truly exciting moments.

Hit single, La Fete is memorable for the
delivery of its catchy chorus in a mixture
of French and English but the Demsa
produced finished product stays
comfortably within pop circles. There is
more French to be encountered on the
bearable bad boy anthem, Le Vrai Bahd
Guy .

The genuinely bright spots on the record
are generated by the guest stars.
Burna Boy never came across a beat he
couldn’t murk up and he proceeds to
seize control of the narrative on Alright .
Wande Coal brings his saccharine sweet
vocals to the ready to dance Way, a mini-
blast that continues in the tradition of Mr
Coal’s Iskaba.

Sir Dauda gives a good account of himself
on the two tracks he is featured in. The
deliberate clunky nature of Boogie does
not stand out instantly, but it settles
quite well into the record’s lazy pace
eventually. Confirm is saved from its
basic advice column material by Sir
Dauda’s confident vocal delivery. My
Money is Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My
Money meets Aramide’s Funmi Lowo set
to a low key trap beat.

When he gets into the consciousness
spirit, Falz cannot quite stop himself from
going over the top with the preaching and
Child of the World represents the
messiness of these tendencies. On the
record’s longest running track (4:29),
Falz narrates a story of sexual abuse and
repercussions for actions taken.
27 isn’t all heavy stuff though.
There are plenty of playful moments,
perhaps too many of them as Falz
switches easily between his regular self
and his Brother Taju comedian alter ego.
There is the mandatory Fela pseudo cover
on the Juls produced Get Me, and the
light hearted dance take, The Lambo
Song .

With 27, Falz has for the first time in his
album releasing career begun to show
signs of lethargy. He may still be able to
deliver the goods, especially when the
industry wide bar has been reduced to the
barest minimum, but the album is a steep
decline from his last. Monotonous and
unadorned with artifice, 27 is fair enough
to pass muster, but far from the best
work Falz could have made at this point
in his career.

Album Name: 27
Artist: Falz
Year: 2017
Tracks: 16