It’s been barely 48 hours since Omah Lay’s highly anticipated new album dropped. I think it’s safe to say, we have not been disappointed. Stanley Omah, better known as Omah Lay, went up close and personal with this one. He spoke about struggles with depression and finding peace in solitude. There is a track for everyone.
Let’s take a look at the sensational body of work… “Boy Alone”.
The interlude for Omah Lay’s new album starts out on a slow, somber note. Just an honest Port Harcourt boy saying his truth on “Recognize”. In a minute and 22 seconds, Stanley Omah gives us a feel of what we can be sure to expect from the body of work, unadulterated truth. The side of him we are yet to see comes into play in this slow melody that teases what’s to come… only the real fit recognize.
Omah Lay gives us a trip down memory lane on “I”. In what could only be considered deep retrospection, the message of self-motivation is clear. Present Omah Lay sings to young Omah Lay and they agree to not become nobodies. This is a song that makes me want to beat my chest in front of the mirror, yelling into my make-shift mic, “Waka waka no fit me”. This tweet from a young Omah Lay in 2016 lets us know that he never once doubted himself.
From boy alone to bad boy alone. The bad boy we know as Omah Lay finally shows himself in “Bend you”. In a seductive blend of melodies that become almost ungodly when the chorus comes on, Omah Lay sings about the things he would do behind closed doors in what sounds like flavoursome threats. “Bend you” gives us all the visuals we need for this song. Need I say more?
When Omah Lay dropped the 30-second teaser for “Woman” on May 17th, I remember feeling frustrated. I had already fallen in love with the song. He sang a song for both ends of the spectrum. Women that wanted to be that woman he was singing about, and men who would like to sing about that one woman. Just once, let’s get lost in the stability that comes with loving one woman. However, it’s an addictive love that becomes a ritual.
Omah Lay really was not holding back on this new album. In a drastic change from “Woman”, he takes a 360-degree turn to talk about his struggles with depression on “I’m A Mess”. Here, he is trying to drown all his sadness in so many vices. This is a track I found myself relating to a little bit too much. You know how they say amazing songs end too quickly? Well, “I’m A Mess” ends almost too fast
Niphkeys gives us a sublime production with subtle and nostalgic guitar riffs that wash over you almost immediately. When Omah Lay’s vocals come into the mix, it blends almost too perfectly. He sings deeply about never being sober. It’s a brutally honest track that makes you feel like you’re peering into his soul. It feels like you’re going through all these struggles with him. I think it’s a song that says if you’ve ever felt like a drowning mess, you’re not alone. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there.
The next song starts out in an evocative tune. He sings about all his people that have held him down through the years, despite the “Temptations” wey dey inside life. I almost miss bad boy Omah Lay at this point. But on a more serious note, he gives odes to his day ones… and nothing gets more real than that.
Because of how seamless the transitions in these tracks are, when “Understanding” comes on next, it feels like I’m hearing it from a totally different perspective. In a body of work where he speaks about his struggles with depression and drowning his sorrows in vices, it’s a no-brainer that a heartbreak song comes into the mix. A ruthless lover has taken everything from our lover boy. Right from the necklace on his chest to the last card in his account. Omah Lay was served his own share of the breakfast that Burna Boy had promised to everyone. And he talks about it the only way he knows how, through music.
On the next track, Omah Lay adds his own smooth style of Afro-fusion to the sound of a background violinist in what he calls a song that was influenced by his love for highlife. This is a song that pays respect to his late dad, whom he says had a huge role to play in his musical background. He grew up listening to highlife music. We see just a little bit of that mixed with his personal style of music on “Never Forget”. He goes even as far as singing in Ikwerre, an indigenous language from Rivers State, Nigeria. A statement that directly translates to, “Wherever you are on this earth, if you hear my voice, please dance for me”. Well, I didn’t have to understand that part to know what I should be doing… a soft rumba dance-like movement because the song carries you away.
It’s almost as if he heard my question asking, “Where is the bad boy Omah Lay?”. On “Safe Haven”, he refers to protecting his energy and reveals a side of him that is not always being the bad lover boy people make him out to be. In a choral, wholesome harmony that toggles you between the pews of Omah Lay’s pulpit and an African beach, those subtle guitar riffs come back again in a song that I will argue again to say… ended too soon.
The next song sounds exactly as you’d expect a Justin Bieber and Omah Lay project to sound. The song dropped about a month ago on June 17th and now has over 40 million streams on Spotify. It’s an upbeat sound that gives you the feeling of rousing in a house party that just keeps going in a loop, but you don’t mind because it’ll have you singing along by the first chorus. Following the theme of a little bit of EDM… Also, Omah Lay and Justin Bieber’s voices blend so smoothly that you might have a little trouble telling them apart as I did.
Whoever Soso is, she needs to come and cure Omah Lay of this pain that he so desperately sings about. That highlife background in Omah Lay’s past comes up again on this track. The chant of “Soso” in the chorus sounds like something The Cavemen would sing. This song from Omah Lay’s new album, speaks about wanting to connect to ancestors through this highlife-inspired tune.
The next is one of the songs that had me bouncing on my feet within the first few tunes… It pulls you right in, the kind of musical concord that starts out by you bouncing your toe till it washes all over you. Before you know it, you’re on your feet, squeezing your face like something smells bad in the room. But it’s the face you make when you know it’s a fire track, and your body knows it too because by now your whole body is moving along to the beat.
His style smoothly blends with an Amapiano or house-like theme that sounds very much like a balanced infusion of Amapiano with Afrobeats. He sings about his bad luck when it comes to love. Am I a bad person for dancing along to such a groovy song even though it is clearly a cry for help? I hope Cupid hears Omah Lay’s cry though. He wants to learn “how to luv”.
Omah Lay’s new album featured Tay Iwar and he gave a lot of props to Tay Iwar for this one. “I used to dream about the stars, that’s why my patience is so low”. On “Tell Everybody”. In addition, the Nigerian neo-soul singer gave us a tune that is similar to what he did with Wizkid on “True Love”. It’s a beautiful Afro-fusion track that has you looking up the lyrics because of its beautiful songwriting.
What a way to end the project. I found myself wishing he had put “Purple Butterflies” higher on the list. It’s a sweet song that has more melody than words. He dedicates the song to anyone out there who sees and appreciates him, which I think would be anyone who appreciates good music.
I found myself actually wishing the track arrangement had been a little bit different. Saving the best tracks for the middle to the end doesn’t always bode well and that seemed to be the case on “Boy Alone”. It seemed as if some of the best tracks were kept until the album progressed so I would’ve preferred to hear them right off the bat.
Omah Lay gave us a version of himself that we had never seen before—the Port Harcourt boy who finds most of his musings when he is alone and in his solitude. His struggles let us know how real it gets.
For his thank you note, he wrote to his fans:
“I’m thankful for finding my way back to music after a whole year dealing with personal demons… Lastly, I’m thankful for your patience as I worked to make this album a reflection of my artistry, struggle, blessings, and my journey so far. Can’t wait to share it with you”
Omah Lay
