#ChikaSays For the love of covers: 4 of my favorite

BY CHIKA

Who remembers Banky W's "Ebute Metta", a 'Nigerianized' and catchy cover of  Rihanna's "Umbrella"? Well, here are some of my favorite song covers ever:

1. Ebute Metta by Banky W

So, i really like this song because of its catchy tune. Rihanna's version is dope and sweet, but there is something bouncier about Banky W's "Ebute Metta" that made me fall instantly in love with it.

I sometimes miss the Banky on that track, although i love how he has grown as an artiste since then.

Ready for a massive throwback? Click the video



2. Hello by Praiz

So Adele's "Hello" caught fire. That song was everything, and on many nights, i still go to bed to the soulfulness of it.

Then Praiz brought his beautiful beard and voice into the cover and i fell in love all over again. I think it had to do with the deeper timbre of his voice, but it was instant love on that cover.

Listen to this beauty here:


3. Hello by Omawunmi

I found it hard to ignore Omawunmi's cover of Hello. While i still prefer Praiz's, Omawunmi also gave her soul and a little jazz to the track. The bounciness strangely does not reduce the soul of the song. Kudos! Omawunmi.

Feel the Omawunmi magic:

4. Panda by Ycee

Panda! Panda! Panda! Desiigner went in on that track! I spent a week studying the lyrics just to show off on karaoke night. Then Ycee happened.

Ycee's cover is slower, i can almost hear ever word, i like the creativity it took for him to come up with totally different lyrics, to cover the beat properly, i respect that, so it comes in at no 4.

Click the play button:

Listened to any covers by Nigerians lately that you like? Share with me.

#FreshandAlternative Adekunle delivers Gold

When an artiste releases a single, then another, then another, and they all do pretty well on radio and at shows, you start to crave an album and look at the artiste when you seem them like, 'wyd?'

A little over a year after 'Sade', Adekunle Gold's debut album drops.

 The initial reaction on social media seemed positive, people picked early favourites like 'No Forget' and on my show today, I must have got a million requests for that one, as well as 'Friendzone' and 'My Life'.

I like the album.

It's a really good listen with sing along hooks and a folk vibe. The production is top notch with producers like Pheelz and Masterkraft, Guitars by Fiokee and Femi Leye and all tracks apart from 'Sade' mixed and mastered by another folk alternative artiste, Simi.

My favourite songs are the Sleekamo produced 'Temptation' (I have it on repeat), early favourite, 'Pick Up' (as birthday is coming soon I really need Baba God to answer my call o), and 'Ariwo Ko' which is the folk version of a rap diss. I love it!

The ode to highlife 'Sweet Me' is a miss with me, mainly because my ears didn't feel it was needed, at first listen.

Overall, I think it's a decent debut album, introducing the world to who Adekunle Gold is. The album art features some of his drawings / paintings, and creative writing my Gbemisola Ero-Phillips.

The album itself introduces us to a talented artiste who almost quit while making music the way he thought it should be done, till he went back to the folk basics and now he's happy making it the way he was born to.

Let's give it four areas out of five shall we?