Boo of the Booless

Boo of the Booless
Studio album by
Chike
ReleasedFebruary 14, 2020 (2020-02-14)
Genre
Length46:00
LanguageEnglish
Pidgin
Igbo
Swahili
LabelIndependent
ProducerChike Ezekpeazu Osebuka
Chike chronology
Boo of the Booless
(2020) 		Dance of the Booless
(2020)

Boo of the Booless is the debut studio album of Nigerian singer Chike. It was released on February 14, 2020.[1] Chike enlisted Ogaga Sakpaide to A&R the album.[2]

Background

The album is 14-tracked and has a total listening time of 46 minutes.[3] It includes folk, R&B, afro-pop, alternative pop and highlife tracks.[1][4] Chike enlisted producers including DeeYasso, Vtekk, Doron Clinton, Adejames Crack, Blaisemix, Bierdman and Nevmix. It features three artistes; Ric Hassani on "Nakupenda", M.I. Abaga on "Forever" and Zoro on "Watching Over Me".[5] 

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Nigerian Entertainment Today8/10
Pulse Nigeria9.8/10

Singles

"Beautiful People" was released in 2018. It is described as an alternative song from the depths of Ireland.[6]

"Finders Keepers" is a merger of alternative rock riffs with African guitar chords. Chike performed a fast-paced version of this song at his album listening party on February 16, 2020.[6]

"Forever" features MI Abaga and is comparable to mid-2000s American R&B both in sound and lyrical delivery.[6] Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria describes "Amen" as "wedding music in power, essence and construction".[6]

Other releases

Chike released a six-track mixtape named Dance of the Booless Volume 1 as a sequel to Boo of the Booless. It was described as a hybrid of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and experimental Afro-Pop/RnB and contained remixes of songs from Boo of the Booless.[7]

He released visuals for "Nakupenda" (featuring Ric Hassani). The video tells a love story using colourful aesthetics and a dramatic storyline. It portrays Chike as a rich client, who competes with a photographer for the love of a female model. It was directed by Ani James and Aje Film Works.[7]

Reception

It was listed as a top Nigerian album of the year 2020.[2][8] It was rated 9.8/10 by Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria. [6] Chinonso Ihekire of The Guardian described it as "a brilliant debut that has become an instant classic" adding that it has one superpower: "its ability to make you re-listen over and over, eager to always hear melodies and lyrics that interflow like conjugated rivers of music."[5]

Akindare Okunola of NET considered it the best R&B album since Simi's Omo Charlie Champagne and rated it an 8 out of 10.[3]

It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Headies Awards. Chike was also nominated for the best vocal performance for "Forgive".[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chike

No.TitleLength
1."Beautiful People"2:58
2."Nakupenda (feat. Ric Hassani" (Nakupenda is a Swahili word which means I Love You.)3:26
3."If You No Love"3:34
4."Forever (feat. M.I Abaga)"3:54
5."Amen"3:40
6."Roju" (Roju is portmanteau of Romeo and Juliet)3:18
7."Finders Keepers"3:22
8."Insecure"3:00
9."Out Of Love"3:26
10."Forgive"3:24
11."Faithful"3:40
12."Running"2:27
13."Soldier"3:03
14."Watching Over Me (feat. Zoro)"3:13
Total length:46:00

Charts

It charted at number 14 on MTV Base Naija hottest albums of 2020 chart.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Alake, Motolani (2020-02-14). "Chike of 'Project Fame' and 'The Voice Nigeria' marks Valentine's Day with debut album, 'Boo of The Booless'". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  2. ^ a b Alake, Motolani (2020-12-24). "Here are the top 10 Nigerian albums of the year [Pulse Picks 2020]". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  3. ^ a b Okunola, Akindare (2020-02-19). "Album Review: Chike Is A Master Of Love And Storytelling On 'Boo of the Booless'". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Archived from the original on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  4. ^ Onabanjo, Adedamola (2020-02-18). "Chike's 'Boo Of The Booless' is A Stellar Debut". The Culture Custodian. Archived from the original on 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  5. ^ a b Ihekire, Chinonso (2020-02-22). "Boo Of The Booless... Chike's Ultimate Love Story". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Archived from the original on 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  6. ^ a b c d e Alake, Motolani (2020-02-17). "On 'Boo of The Booless,' Chike is a dauntless, masterful and amorous painter of pictures [Album Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  7. ^ a b Ihekire, Chinonso (2020-06-27). "Chike experiments with dance of the Booless". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  8. ^ Campbell, Preye (2020-08-29). "Top six Nigerian albums/Extended Playlists this year". PM News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  9. ^ "See full list of Headies 2020 award nomination". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  10. ^ "Burna Boy tops the chart on MTV Base Naija hottest albums of 2020". Vanguard. 2020-12-28. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2021-04-05.