Darey was Double-dared

Someone must have double-
dared the man known as Darey,
or else can you explain why he
has decided to drop two albums
simultaneously into Nigeria ’s
volatile music market. Some
might think the move foolhardily
but with the music industry in
need of creativity and good
songs, DOUBLE DARE
provides Heart and Beat (the
title of both discs) at just the
right time.
HEART
Heart is made up of 9 tracks
which make you hardly break a
sweat but makes you move in a
slight shuffle in appreciation of
good music that the body and
soul needs. It is a musical
journey which is enhanced by
fine wine and in the company of
a member of the opposite sex.
It ’s the kind of CD that you play
in your car at night during a
smooth cruise round town.
The production is excellent and
not a beat, snare, kick or string
is out of place. It is surely for
people who are used to having
good music flowing through
their veins. The CD starts with
two tracks that pay homage to
the past. Sisi Eko plays like a
soundtrack of the social life of
Lagos in the 60 ’s while Sweet
Mother is a cover of Nico
Mbaga’s evergreen song of the
same title.
For some loving Never say
Never is a must play and if
friendship is what you seek
instead of an amorous
relationship Close is what you
should bump as you declare un-
wavering friendship to your
bestie.
On Don’t Let Me Know Darey
still holds on to a former lover
who has clearly moved on. His
yearning is littered all over the
song as he tries to convince her
one last time but judging by the
emotion behind his voice you
get the feeling that Darey knows
it might just be a lost cause.
Showing off his versatility, Darey
gives us the acoustic version of
Way You Are which is peppered
with some Naija spice. There is
more than one way to skin a cat
and he proves it in this different
rendition of the song. Maybe
Baby is a huge sweeping record
reminiscent of the legends of
the past. With nothing but live
instruments he rides confident
on the track.
Cure The World is a charity song
as the name implies which has a
military drum line in it as Darey
charges us to make the world a
better place.
Heart is an astounding
collection of songs that move at
an even pace. Although when
Darey says “its Don Jazzy again”
on Stroke Me you might think
that the softness of the
collection might be broken but
Don Jazzy proves in this track
that he is more layered than
people think.
BEAT
On BEAT, Darey goes straight
for the jugular, creating dope
pop and dance tracks. The Way
You Are starts things off. It is
both danceable and preachy as
Darey tells women that they are
beautiful just the way they look.
On the Timbaland-esque Elevate
Ya, Darey promises to upgrade a
young lady and introduce her to
the finer things life has to offer.
It is another heavy dance song,
a theme that cuts across BEAT.
Songs on BEAT as well as
HEART are made not only for
the Nigerian audience but the
international audience as well.
Therefore it makes sense when
Darey goes Hollywood on the
aptly titled Like A Movie. While
the slow-tempo Belly is the
perfect recipe to kick start a
romantic session.
Pillow, another slow track is the
one that really pushes the
envelope as it is a cross between
pop and rock. The beautiful
hybrid of a track is enchanting
as Darey is nearly choked to
death. Don’t worry you have to
listen to it to understand. This
song highlights the fact that
Darey is not scared of trying
new things out.
Another innovative song is the
hot dance electro song Ba Ni Ki
Di. From the moment the song
starts you won ’t be able to stop
dancing to the funny Hausa
song.
On BEAT, there are five collabo
tracks. While Chamillionaire
appears on (The Way You Are)
Remix and Mo’ Cheddah
delivers verses that will most
leave most rap fans satisfied on
her rapping ability, it is Back To
Sender with Timaya and
Provider featuring P-Square that
are the best picks. Timaya really
outdoes himself on Back To
Sender giving hope to many
music listeners that the Egberi
Papa of Bayelsa can deliver
better songs if he tries. P-
Square’s appearance on
Provider is nothing short but
stellar which further solidifies
the fact that they are Africa ’s
best group. These collabos
prove that Darey is so versatile
that he can adapt to any artiste,
which is why they pan out well.
If every artiste is as bold and
confident as Darey, then our
industry will be light years
ahead. While many artistes
bestow titles on themselves
without a body of work to back
it up, Darey proves that he is
the true King of R and B on
DOUBLE DARE. May his reign
be long and fruitful.