By Ayomide Tayo
Artist- Wizboyy
Album- Testimoney
Guest Appearances- Iyanya, Zoro, J’ Dess, Killz
Record Label- No Tyme Records (2013)
Duration- 1 hour
Wizboyy gives us more of the same
Wizboyy is the latest singer to be churned out from the contemporary highlife factory situated in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
This however isn’t his first effort. Wizboyy is creeping towards veteran status. His latest album Testimoney is his third album but thanks to the success of his singles ‘Fotojenik’ and ‘Halima’ this is his biggest album till date.
While Wizboyy is beginning to get national acclaim, his album is deeply entrenched in the sounds of the East. It’s a full blast of what you would expect in a contemporary highlife album. There is no tweaking, adjusting or fiddling with his sound to appeal to a larger base. Wizboyy is unapologetically Igbo on Testimoney. It is also an extensive excursion as the album spans 17 tracks.
Thematically, Testimoney is predictable. The album is filled with songs about women, love, God, destiny and an ode to his mother. ‘Lovinjitis’, ‘Halima’, ‘Uso’, and ‘Network Provider’ are some of the songs that can be found in the love department. The album opener ‘Lovinjitis’ is a mid-tempo love song where Wizboyy sings with syrupy vocals- ‘sun dey shine, rain dey fall, wind dey blow. Girl I think of you…tell me how I can make you realize say na you be the reason why strong man dey do totori eh.’ Granted it isn’t exactly poetic but it is direct to the heart in its appeal. On ‘Network Provider’ he begs to be a babe’s network provider and browser. The metaphors are cheesy but since the track aims at shuffling feet then it achieves its aim.
‘Wizolingo’ is a party track where Wizboyy sings about the growing influence of Nigerian music overseas. On ‘Woman Go Dey’ (another party track) he sings about the importance of women in having a good time. ‘Anything you dey do my brother eh, woman go dey (for sure), I say woman go dey’ he sings on the jolly track. Iyanya appears of ‘Feel Alright’- which is another…party song. If nothing else, the song continues the tempo of the album. On ‘Anam Acho’ Wizboyy does slow down the pace and delivers a love ballad. He gently puts his voice to the task. His effort is commendable at least for trying something new.
In all honesty, it would be hard for someone who isn’t Igbo to thoroughly enjoy this album. While being heavily Eastern influenced, Testimoney would definitely be a must have for lovers of Igbo-centric highlife music. The album would have been better if Wizboyy had touched on other subjects that haven’t been mentioned in highlife music. Sometimes people want the same thing and Wizboyy has just delivered that.
Rating- 3/5
