After what seems like forever, Davido finally breaks his hiatus from the music scene with a record-breaking album, Timeless. As you can guess, I’ve been itching to listen to the project and let our readers know my thoughts on it. Here’s a track by track review of Timeless, Davido’s new album.
Opening Songs On Timeless
The album opens up with what sounds like a positive affirmation coming from the travails a superstar like Davido has faced. On Over Dem, the singer likens himself to the biblical David and Goliath story. Apart from the striking, almost melancholic saxophone drawls that are evident at the start of the song, the lyricism triggers feelings of hardship and recovery. After Davido’s prolonged silence, it’s an almost too perfect way to start out the album. “Over dem all, if they wan turn Goliath, I be David for life.”
The next song on Timeless is Feel, an upbeat party tune that draws you in from the jump. The drums are an intoxicating barrage of sounds that all but drown you in a world where gbedu is the order of the day. Feel is a song you can’t help but love, with a catchy chorus that sticks with you from the very first listen. In just two minutes and 34 seconds, Davido pens a banger that ends way too soon.
Featuring one of the newest additions to DMW 2.0, In The Garden takes a different turn starting out with Morravey’s verse. The singer’s rich vocal prowess makes this song a beautiful listen. Not only does Davido’s verse flow seamlessly into the chorus, but the two singers definitely had chemistry on In The Garden. It’s feel-good music, it’s enjoyable, and it’s everything a good debut song should be for young Morravey.
In another song penned by Davido himself, Godfather dissects themes of blessings, godfatherism, and staying away from enemies. While it’s not one of my favorites, I can’t deny its brilliant production. It also takes on a smooth transition to the next song, Unavailable. Being one of the most listened-to songs on Timeless, the song is a guaranteed party starter. In case you missed it, Unavailable made it to our weekly top picks, you can read more about it here.
Timeless Tracklist
Featuring Dexta Daps, BOP is another typical party starter. The Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist delivers a riveting verse that compliments Davido’s. After BOP comes E Pain Me, one of the few love-themed songs we get on Timeless. The song features themes of an undying and painful love that stays strong through life’s unending trials.
Away is definitely one of my favorite songs on Davido’s Timeless album. Centered on staying as far away from the haters as possible, this song keeps the audience enraptured from the first verse to the last. I look at it as a witty, positive way of telling off the haters, “I no get time for wahala, I Dey Ibiza.” Take it from Davido, don’t feed your troubles. Instead, get on a plane and head to Ibiza. On the other hand, Precision preaches humility, goal orientation, and moving with precision toward one’s goals. Looks like Timeless has made a preacher out of Davido and we’re definitely taking notes.
On another crowd favorite, Davido features Fave in Kante. This is a thrilling song that combines Fave’s goosebump-inducing verse with authentic Davido penmanship. He even throws in a little Risky sample in there.. “Big waist, fine face…” Kante gives us a chorus that has been on everyone’s lips since it dropped. And we have Fave to thank for that. For the next song Na Money, you can catch what our writers had to say about it here.
Who doesn’t love a good Davido and Skepta collaboration? U(Juju) is as lovey-dovey as Davido songs get. It talks about being entrapped in a love that feels brought on by Nigerian Juju. I wonder how many men have also wondered if juju had anything to do with their feelings. Skepta’s solid delivery brings the song to a fine close. Although, I’m not sure the two musicians had smooth-sailing chemistry on this track.
Closing Songs
The next song on Timeless is No Competition featuring Mr Money With The Vibes, Asake himself. I won’t lie, at first I was a bit skeptical about how balanced this song was going to sound, but the two delivered. After No Competition is Picasso featuring another new DMW 2.0 signee, Logos Olori. Logos’ verse gives you an insight into his vocal strengths and lyrics which I suppose lie somewhere between boyish charms and love-struck penmanship.
For The Road is just an honest plea for another one for the road. As for what in particular this “one” is referring to, I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask Davido for an explanation. On the other hand, LCND, also known as Legends can never die, is another moving song that praises legends and their unending lifetimes. It talks about flexing this life before living it.
Finally, Timeless closes with the timeless Davido and Focalistic’s Champion Sound. Just a subtle reminder from Davido that this song is still very much relevant. If you’ve listened to this song a thousand times before, I bet you’re still not tired of it.
Final Thoughts
Before I say my final thoughts on Davido’s Timeless, I have a little confession to make. I’ve not particularly enjoyed Davido’s albums in the past. Hence, I’ve always pegged him as a hitmaker but not a very solid album maker. But with Timeless, you can’t deny the amount of work he put into it. It’s clear he pored over each song and poured as much energy as he could into it. And like I always say, if you have more than a handful of favorites on an album, then it’s probably a really good project.
On the other hand, Timeless could’ve done without just a few songs like Precision and Godfather, and even Champion Sound. But what can I say, I’m not the expert here. Overall, I’d say there’s a reason why almost all the songs on Timeless have remained on the charts for days on end since the album dropped. What was your favorite song from this new Davido album? Let us know in the comment section!
