Klever Jay’s Strength, And His Weakness

 By Chiagoziem Onyekwena

Last Tuesday, the list of nominees for the HipHopWorld Awards 2010 was finally unveiled to the public. In the hours that followed that announcement, opinions came pouring in; everybody, it seemed, had something to say.

Some opinions were well-thought out while others were slightly uninformed. A few of their intentions might have been noble while the others, not so much. However, one nomination that was notably kept out of the cyber free-for-all was that of Klever Jay’s Igboro ti daru for street single of the year; the rookie had done well for himself and his selection was incontrovertible, or so it seems.

A remix to Igboro ti daru is more or less inconsequential at this point but Klever still went ahead with it anyway. Eedris’ verse is stripped away and one from DaGrin is sewn-in in its place. But ForwardEver starts on a fresh page with the up-tempo Love in Tokyo. Another heavyweight Yoruba lyricist, Lord of Ajasa, lays a strong 16 bars to lend the single some steel. Love in Tokyo plays to Klever’s strengths and hides his weaknesses – a quick-paced beat, instantly memorisable chorus and addictive melody all contrive to take your attention away from his flighty lyrics. You see, Klever hasn’t deviated much from the watered-down Koni Koni Love template; matter-of-fact he actually makes reference to the song one time too many on Love in Tokyo and throughout ForwardEver as a whole.

 Moving on, as his name implies, Klever Jay is certainly no slouch in the intellectual department. After all, what better way is there to appeal to everybody at once than by singing in all the languages they are used to? So having already slipped in a line or two of Ibo on Igboro ti daru, Klever Jay sprinkles To Marry with a Hausa bridge. But what might hamper this song from becoming a true wedding anthem is the same thing that just might help and inhibit ForwardEver as an entire unit at the same time. Confused? Let me explain. 

With the exception of Shake Your Bombom, I Love you and Sho Wa Sexy, ForwardEver was produced entirely by K-Solo. And while K’s production stands out occasionally, more often than not, the instrumentals come off as being slightly overproduced. There’s just far too much happening in the background that Klever often finds his already square vocals being drowned out. Ironically, the rowdy production helps give life to Klever’s unimaginative, slightly one-dimensional singing.

On the plus side, the album’s true standout song, the Spankie-produced Sho Wa Sexy features a revitalized Ruggedman , while on Na Who Say, Klever Jay exhibits some topical range – talking about his life, his struggles, his triumphs and his foes (imagined and otherwise).

In summary I guess it’s safe to say that ForwardEver is a danceable, relatable and even enjoyable album at certain points. However, just like its predecessor, The Beginning, Klever Jay’s hurriedly-done sophomore contains the type of music that’s forgotten the moment the tape rolls up and the STOP button is punched.  But who knows? Maybe by the time you’re through listening to ForwardEver, Klever Jay would’ve already released album number three…

ALBUM RATING – 2.5/5