SONG REVIEW: Folake Awesome - Ewawo

Folake Awesome is an artiste I will never forget for one reason: she is the first female Nigerian music producer that I have ever heard of.  I am sure there are several people who fit that description out there, but Folake was the first one I heard of.

Folake Awesome // ReverbNation
Now that you know at least one of the skills she has, it's time to learn briefly about her musical background courtesy of ReverbNation:
Folake Awesome is a rapper, singer, producer and songwriter. An urban gospel artist who’s on a mission to make manifest the savor of the knowledge of God in every place.  An ardent music listener who was discovered as a rapper in 2003, as a first year student of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. Through the process of honing her talent, she developed interest in music production and singing. 

The audio of Ewawo is provided below:



THE REVIEW

Likes:  The first thing that hits you when you hit play, once Folake starts singing is that reverb effect.  No, it has nothing to do with the song being on "Reverb"Nation (I couldn't resist adding that).  I think it was an idea she decided to incorporate into the song since she produced it herself.  Talk about creative freedom!

The beauty of the reverb effect is that it matches the pitch of Folake's voice, and makes the song light and airy.  Actually, refreshing is the word.

If you listen to the song from the beginning to the end, you'll notice something strange: there are absolutely NO background vocals.  But it does not subtract anything from the song! Folake manages the song impressively as a completely solo effort.  So, it comes across as a testimony song that she sings in solitude.

As she weaves in and out of Yoruba and English, it becomes clear that she's giving a testimony (see translation below).  The song arrangement, instrumentation and songwriting work well with the style she has chosen.

Dislikes:  Possibly because of the style of the song, there were spots where Folake was struggling and straining vocally.  I found that a bit distracting.  Furthermore, the repetition of the lyrics got quite tiring at some point, simply because there was no high point to look forward to.  No climax, no bridge, just the same arrangement repeated over and over again.

I kept hoping that she would change something somewhere, and was disappointed when the song remained the same. I would have liked to see more creativity on this piece because there was ample "space" to do so especially since the song ran for 5 minutes, 21 seconds.

Recommendations:  Change the dynamics of the song arrangement to incorporate surprises so that the song is not just one dimensional.

Just in case you wondered what she keeps singing over and over again in the hook, here is a brief translation:

E wa w'oun t'o se fun mi 

Come and see the things He has done for me

O po, mi o le pa a m'ora

They are too much, I cannot keep them to myself


More information on Folake:

Artiste's Stage Name: Folake Awesome

Artiste's Real Name: Folakemi Olaosebikan

Connect with Artiste:  Facebook | Twitter 

Listen to more musicReverbNation | Hulkshare


That's it from me.  Ciao!

Awesome 'Awesome' way to go.

Mjady

POST A COMMENT

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please Share.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...