ALBUM REVIEW! On Apollo, Fireboy Shines Once Again, Yet The Project Lacks Cohesion

Posted by E.L.E.X on August 22 2020 under Celebrities

Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps was the best debut album we’ve heard in a long while, and now with Apollo, will the god of music, Fireboy make an impression?

When Fireboy emerged with his debut album last year, it was greeted with fanfare and a loud ovation.

Legends spoke glowingly about it, words were rife on the street about this young chap’s debut project and the fans did the expected—they raved and consumed it with much pleasure.

The critical reception was impressive.

Everyone who listened to Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps all enjoyed this masterpiece and we all concluded; this was one of the best debut albums we’ve heard in a while.

And again, Fireboy is back with some more.

We called him a young chap the last time, but he’s buoyed by the massive success of that project.

That success has turned him to a man. No ordinary man. He’s become a god.

Boastful, confident and self assured.

But what shall we expect from this new wine from Fireboy, our host. Come on in, let’s feast. It’s a banquet of good music.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FIREBOY DML - APOLLO

1. Champion

The album opener. It’s here Fireboy makes things clear. It’s at the first verse, he utters the statement.

He’s a mother fxcking champion.

He’s a god. He’s way ahead of his peers. Or who in this generation has had much success with a debut project. And thus, he revels in the success, feeling confident and boastful.

The way he wields his dazzling voice like a sword, striding across the piano-driven beat Pheelz has created is so effortless.

He’s thankful, full of pride and takes much joy in how his music has penetrated into spaces he even hasn’t been to. It’s like he’s in a conversation with a stranger who certainly doesn’t know him. And so like gods do, he showcases his wins.

It’s god-confidence here and with his carefully chosen words, he tells the rest of the gods,

“I’m the best my generation has ever seen”.

2. Spell feat Wande Coal

Delightful. Two vocal gods come together here to show their vocal prowess. And it’s not a track to sing about wealth and riches like how other gods do.

Here, it’s a chatter about how a stranger girl has held then spell bound. She possesses some charm that can’t be revoked by them. They cede in and you can hear the effect of this when Fireboy belts out “You put a spell on me”

His vocals are enticing, and the upbeat mixture of 90’s piano and rapid muffled kickdrums Type A has brought in here aids Wande Coal’s sweet falsetto

His honeyed delivery is just so soothing.

3. ELI

At this point, the girl Fireboy met on “Spell” is proving to be a menace to him. He’s troubled, he needs help and this time, it’s not war that’s troubling the god of music.

It’s a woman. Like all gods and humans, woman is a weakness.

Fireboy has fallen prey and it seems the charm laid on him on “Spell” is doing the magic already.

Apollo is falling. He needs help, the reason he sings with angst over the Pheelz-assisted sorrowful Chinese zither sound.

4. Tattoo

On Tattoo, Fireboy is calm, singing tenderly and appealing to his woman for some sexual bonding.

His airy voice calls out, sultry and light as he basks in the beauty of romance.

He wants to dabble in some sexual fantasy and the opening line, “let me be inside you or beside you” shows he’s in such a great sensual need.

5. Favorite Song

The god of music takes his woman back to the old times with some 90’s type of music. It’s jazzy, disco-folk and it seems Fireboy and his woman went to prom dance.

He’s happy to show her off and wants to treat her nice to some feel-good music. The throbbing synths and snappy drums sends Fireboy on some free-form singing.

The track is a slick serving of 90’s inspired R&B that showcases the starlet’s impressive vocal range that has had us hooked ever since.

6. New York City Girl

When this came out a single, we didn’t understand the narrative behind this song. But in an interview, Fireboy said it’s an ode to a girl he met but left for the US a few days after meeting her.

The guitar-driven ballad is bittersweet. The girl Fireboy has been hanging out with, is preparing to leave for New York City.

The spell is still in effect and Fireboy begs for a last chance with her. The mood is gloomy and Fireboy sings of her abilities.

She makes me sing

She always got me acting out

Woman indeed, is a god’s weakness.

Commentary
The first part is over. It’s ended in some tragedy. A god falls in love, enchanted by the features of this beautiful girl, but then, she leaves him.

He’s alone now and the following tracks are reminiscent of what happens to people after a heartbreak.

He’s alone now. And thus continues in pursuit of what life has to offer him.

7. Lifestyle

Now without a girl, he ditches the moody and emotional tones for more uptempo.

A new life. A different affair. A fresh start.

This mixture of head nodding percussion and dotting piano melodies is so delightful. Fireboy’s groovy vocals contains some swagger. His energy is raw. He’s come to establish his new-found status as a god.

He’s not one of us anymore. He’s leveled up and his way of life which is normal to him is seen as fake lifestyle to other members of the kingdom.

“Na normal level,

It’s a lifestyle”

8. Airplane Mode

We’re back to where we started. The emotional distress. The stress that comes with breathing. The god of music is troubled. His voice exhibits pain.

The beat is a minimalist one, yet Fireboy’s voice soars and complements this beat in a soothing manner.

The message is in the hook. He’s overwhelmed with his duties as a god. The pressure is getting too much. And his main problem is his relations with people who keep heaping pressure on him.

“I just wanna be alone

I don’t wanna see no message on my phone”

To save himself, he puts on the airplane mode. No calls. No messages. The simple melody illustrates Fireboy wants to be left alone.

If you’ve ever been depressed, you’ll relate with this track.

9. 24

A self reflective track. Fireboy looks back and inspects how he’s lived his life. He’s 24. He speaks ill of himself,

“You don’t feel?alive
There’s no more life”

He’s realized the pain love has brought him and the memories can’t be forgotten.

10. Dreamer

Dreamer is perhaps the most emotional. Fireboy is endlessly brooding about his experience with own delicate feelings for a “strange woman”. He’s in a reflection mode, maybe.

Still in the mode of “24” looking back to how a girl treated him badly.

If you have no plans to be here, why did you lead me on, he sings in his downbeat, slightly grainy tone.

The feelings conjured here are all about cheating. Who lies to a god? Why does the god of music find it difficult to find love? Should it be easy for him.

But here, he laments. The melancholic synths helps him to cry more

“Am I only a dreamer”

11. Afar

On Afar, he recreates the message on “Lifestyle” but it’s more emotional and low tempo here

The fake love message is reproached again. The track is laid-back and when his label honcho flows in a smooth way, it’s not the fiery “Eni Duro Olamide”, it’s the emo-rap version we heard on most songs in 999 EP.

While the message hinges on fake love, the song has low replay value.

12. Go Away

Go Away is a sleepy track with the god of music wanting to let go of his feelings. His soft croons over this bass guitar riff is the track’s strength.

Asides that, the vibe is missing and it’s the weakest song on the record.

13. Shadè

With things sleeping away, Fireboy resurrects the vibes on Shade.

Gawd! The beat is a madness. A catchy song filled with melodies, helmed by a delightful chord progression.

And Fireboy doesn’t disappoint. He sings, croons, hums and coos. The track is sweet but this Type A beat is hypnotic. The wonders of these guitar licks.

The scenery Fireboy depicts is lovable also. His glossy voice serenades the beat so well that he turns it into a pleasure dreamscape.

Shade is ear-wormy.

14. Friday Feeling

The transition from Shade to Friday Feeling will take you by surprise. It’s flawless and he’s in a party mode this time.

It’s an infectious bouncy jam. Fireboy detailing what happens on a Friday night in the club. Everyone gets lost. Everyone forgets what’s going on their lives and all they want to have is a nice time.

It’s all about the vibes here and after the chorus, Pheelz throws in some percussion that further opens the space for Fireboy to throb in and explore.

He’s in a celebration mood.

This should have been the album closer.

15. God Only Knows

We’re taken back to the throes of moody tones. After partying on Friday through Saturday, he’s returned to church on Sunday for some reflection.

But this time, he sings of a girl. It’s a celestial tune, and he sighs with a reflection mood.

Soothing, calm and reflective. Is he thinking about the girl who left him on “New York City Girl”.

The angelic chants will make you somber especially if you’ve lost someone so close before.

16. Sound

Vibes on vibes. The pattern of “Sound” is synonymous of that of “High On Life” which was on his debut album.

He’s experimental, showing the other side of being able to excel on these other beats.

The harmony of the bouncy drums and piano chords aids Fireboy to ascend another spectrum and float excellently.

17. Remember Me

On Remember Me, Fireboy tells the end. gods will perish but what will they leave behind. Impact. Actions. Landmark achievements

And there’s the urge from Fireboy telling everyone to remember him. How he conquered. How he leaped over obstacles.

He’s Apollo, god of music.

Dotting piano keys helps to accentuate the message. There’s an end. “Remember me” is a clarion call for us to remember Fireboy as a god.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FIREBOY DML - APOLLO

Our Opinion

To some, Fireboy’s debut album was more enjoyable than this. The lyrical depth, content and the vibes embedded made Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps a classic album.

What made LTG stand out was the message.

But here, on Apollo, that message is distorted. You rarely understand what exactly the message Fireboy is trying to do with Apollo.

We get a glimpse of him as a god, his boastful self on tracks like Champion and Lifestyle and as a human, he has weaknesses he tried to hide from us.

In different stages, he falls in and out of love, looking back on “24” on the costly mistakes he’s made in love.

The theme is thus confusing and lacks cohesion compared to Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps.

But Fireboy does show growth.

Are there hits?

With the ever changing soundscape the industry is in right now, to get a hit, you have to pass a message. Airplane Mode is hit worthy because of the message.

The structure of this record is applaudable. The sprinkles of hums, coos, croons and delightful ad-libs will make some songs memorable.