Following an amazing project “Yellow”, Brymo, a Nigerian singer and songwriter released a two-part album titled “9” on September 9, 2021. The first part is titled Èsan, while the second part is titled Harmattan & Winter, both containing 9 beautiful songs each. The 35-year old Nigerian singer tweeted “9 is to the LOML, a marker of our 9th year of awesomeness, to decades more!!!”. This clearly shows that 9 was dedicated to his lover. While Èsan was completely written and delivered in Yoruba, Harmattan & Winter was delivered in English and for me, that was very fascinating.
I particularly like Èsan, maybe because it’s in Yoruba language and the way it sounds so powerful. It is elite, different and extraordinarily calming. The album makes you wonder how deep the Yoruba language is and convinces you that it is so beautiful.
The album started with Àkókó as the first song on the album which means “the first”. In this song, Brymo praises his character and eulogizes himself. Then the album gracefully ended with “Ààré” as its last song which means “President”. At the start of this song, there was a radio playing and there was news about youths destroying properties. The newscaster also warned parents to tell their kids to stay safe. The song continued with an appraisal of Ààré and praises of his coming. For me, this brings back memories of the EndSars protest and how lives and properties were destroyed. It made so much sense.
Although, all the songs are incredibly good, my favorite remains “Tèmi ni Tèmi” which means “What is mine is mine”. It is one of the love songs on the album and of course, Brymo delivered. Here, Brymo seemed to be apologizing for something he did while professing his love and how he does not want to lose his “love”. It was beautiful. The other love song was “Okán mi ti fó wéwé” meaning “My heart is shattered” which Brymo mentioned in a tweet that the song is pro monogamy.
All in all, 9 is a classic. Two works. Brymo’s accent, wordplay, vocal texture, eloquence is commendable. His understanding of both languages and diction is brilliant. He is a talented being. His consistency over the years is mind blowing, making it so difficult to pick a favorite album.
Anyway, this writer thinks your ears deserve good music and she totally recommends. You definitely should listen.
