…These African lullabies take you into realms and R.E.M.S. (Rapid Eye Movement Sleep) with a touch of Nostalgia.
The African Lullabies project expands on the rich heritage of African folklore to create unique content for children, and parents too. Dear Platoon, you left some of us out in the description – stressed young adults. The African Lullabies project is overseen and distributed by Platoon. Platoon is an artist service, A&R, and music distribution company owned by Apple.
The first playlist featured only South African singers and songwriters. The second project, African Lullabies 2 features artists across the continent to project cultural appreciation through folklore and sounds. It was released as part of the celebrations for Africa Month.
African Lullabies Pt.2 Review
Music has always been an integral part of African culture. In Nigeria where I am from, there are songs for different occasions and ceremonies down to lullabies for babies and recreational activities. I can still remember one of them on this project from my childhood days. The influence of these traditional folk songs on modern-day music cannot be overlooked. Check out the influence of these traditions on our contemporary music today on our Time Series.
This project is a herald of folklore, a reconnection to childhood and traditional roots with various themes embodied within. Let’s take a quick walk through the dream fountains. Try not to fall asleep on this journey, this body of work is a nostalgic tranquilizer. I will also urge you to listen to the project as you read this.
African Lullabies Pt.2 Track Listing
- Psalms of Suli – Hello Little One
- Teni –One Day
- Simi – Iya Ni Wura (Mother is gold)
- Karun – Dream Lullaby (‘Wakarirü’)
- Tresor – La Vie Est Belle (Life is beautiful)
- Olayinka Ehi – Sweet One
- Aṣa – Little Darling
- Ayra Starr – Stars
- Aymos – Lullaby Song
- Ntsika – Busuku Benzolo (Goodnight)
- WurlD – Never Alone
- Manana – In The Morning
Let’s Sleep, Shall we?
“Hello Little One” starts with a solemn keyboard progression played on the lower octave. Psalms of Suli opens up the project by asking the little ones if they are ready to sleep.
“Hello little one, it’s bedtime. And I hope you’re ready to sleep well. Or as we say it in Ghana, “Da yie”, “Mon da yie” (Had to consult my Ghanaian friend for this). Sleep well.”
Hope
“One Day” by Teni actually inspired this review. Her opening lines “One day you will fly when the time is right. And you won’t have to cry no more, ’cause everything is gonna be okay”, resonates deeply. You now see why I included stressed young adults in my opening paragraph as the left-out audience of this project. This track inspires hope and reassurance of a better future. Teni’s soft vocals, accompanied by the soft plucking of the acoustic guitar, did the justice necessary to this song. “Omo iyo ma gba gbe o dodo imè” – My child, do not forget home/your source.
Appreciation of Worth
On the 3rd track, “Ìyá ni wúrà”, meaning “mother is golden”, Simi comes through with her usual soft vocal texture, and nostalgia rides in the wave of her sound. This is a song Yorubas sing to appreciate their mums. This is one of the folk music we learn while growing up in the Western part of Nigeria.
Ìyá ni wúrà iyebíye ti a kò lé f’owó rà- Mothers are priceless treasures that we can’t purchase with money.
Simi showers mothers with eulogies on this one.
Multiverse of Dreams
The Kenyan sensation, Karun, sang “Dream Lullaby”– the 4th song on this project. If you made it this far on the African Lullabies, I can assure you that this is where you start traveling through dimensions and realms. Karun’s vocals catapult you through multidimensional dream layers on Dream Lullaby.
“All I wanna do is fall, right into the comfort of my bed. I know I’m safe here when I close my eyes”. Right now, this is what I want to do as well. She closes with a Kikuyu rendition—wakarirü. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a full translation of the rendition.
“I learnt a lot about myself when creating this song. I produced the whole song… My grandmother and I connected over her helping me remember the lullaby at the end of the song. Kikuyu is my first language but I forgot it a long time ago, so I learnt that I’m still connected to it.”- Karun
La vie est belle…
Oui, la vie est belle et l’amour aussi (Yes, life is indeed beautiful, and so is love). Tracks 5 to 7 of this project expand on the beauty of life, love, and adoration.
Tesor renders “La Vie est Belle” beautifully in French and his native language, accompanied by beautiful strings aimed at easing the stressors in your body.
I was able to get translations for the few French lines… “La vie, la vie, la vie sera belle,” which means life will be beautiful. “Maman m’a dit la vie apparient aux courageux”- Mother told me life is for the courageous. Indeed, it is.
The original version of this song is actually an Amapiano song featuring Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa. In case you don’t know, Tesor co-wrote and produced Drake’s Fountains ft. Tems.
…So Is Love
Olayinka Ehi and Asa on “Sweet One” and “Little Darling” are the type of loving reassurance I will love to receive every night before I sleep. Olayinka Ehi and Asa profess their love for their cute little ones as they promise to be by them always. Even as adults, these sweet words of affirmation will go a long way to rejuvenate one’s soul. Olayinka describes the process of creating these songs for children as setting a precedence that they will grow up to be proud of in the future.
Swing low, Sleep tight- the ultimate aim of African Lullabies
If you get to this point without feeling relaxed or dreaming of your childhood memories, then you might need to have a conversation with the sleep fairy. Tracks 8 to 10 of the project center around dreamy lullaby sounds that will help lure anyone to sleep as soon as you shut your eyes and soak them in. Ayra Starr’s delivery on Stars is so peaceful and soothing. “Stars” by Ayra Starr happens to be the first song I ever listened to on this project.
Aymos is the type of guy in whose custody you will leave a crying baby, go to the market, only to come back and find the child snoring peacefully. If you doubt this, listen to his track “Lullaby Song” for confirmation. This is the type of effect African lullabies have on babies
Ntsika featured on the first project and delivers beautifully arranged vocals on the soft beats on “Busuku Benzolo” which means Goodnight or say good wishes before sleep. Can be likened to the French version of bonne nuit et de beaux rêves (Goodnight and sweet dreams).
Reassurance
WurlD on “Never Alone” reassures listeners with the words, “You will never be alone, Just breathe”. I dedicate this to those who find it hard and those who are scared to fall asleep at night. Just breathe, and let go.
Manana, a Grammy award-winning songwriter closes the project with “In the morning” assuring a better day, a new dawn.
In the morning, you know the sun will rise. In the morning, it will be alright.
Concluding Remarks on African Lullabies Pt.2
One major thing I applaud about this project is the production which drives the project’s goal. The production made each song have dreamy elements in them which create a calm, relaxing feeling in the brain. Slow, soothing, and calm sounds help to relax and refresh one’s mind and body. Little wonder children sleep off when they hear sounds like this even though they don’t understand the lyrics. It does have the same effect on adults as well.
Shout-out to the producers of this great body of work: Atta Otigba, Karun, Milar, P.priime, Samuele Danieli, SJO & Teniola Apata. Of notable mention, is the great A&R efforts put into this, it was expertly done.
I tried my best to stay awake while writing this, I had to brace myself for this one but I still slept off twice during the process. Guess the project is doing its job perfectly. If you find it hard to sleep at night, you can try this project as your white noise therapy. Luckily for you, these African lullabies take you into calm realms, with a touch of nostalgia.
Do you prefer a physical therapy kind of experience? Check out my article about the New Afrika Shrine as well
