Artist: P-Square
Album Title: Double Trouble
Label: Square Records
Release Date: September 12, 2014
Nigeria’s favourite pop duo are back with their sixth studio effort after a three year hiatus, Double Trouble, a 13 plus 3 track album. P-Square don’t pretend to make anything particularly profound but they possess a solid catalogue, two arguable classics in Game Over and Get Squared. The following album Danger was a disappointment, but the boys found a new lease of life with the writing and melody partnership with the then-up-and-coming crooner, May D. The Invasion was a stellar album if not as memorable as the earlier two.
Double Trouble opens up with Shekini, P-Square’s take on the Shoki riddim. This one is for the clubs; I am indifferent to it but I see it making waves. Missing You is sweet but it doesn’t grab you. It is the boys firmly ensconced in their comfort zone. I like it but I might not remember it to listen to it again. Bring It On ft. Dave Scott, I am unsure what this song was supposed to be; an attempt at the Western market? It’s a decent performance but the song itself is trite. David Scott gave a good account of himself on the track but the ‘Crayfish, asun and beef’ line makes it hard to take this joint seriously. Muga Money Spender (MMS) is alright. One is not particularly moved by it. Ifeoma is a another one of those songs; like Beautiful Oyinye and Ifunaya, it’s become de rigueur for the boys to dedicate a candy laden song to a named lady. I particularly enjoy it when the boys sing in Igbo but we’ve heard this song before, in one guise or the other.
Ejeajo ft. T.I is a composite of few songs, from Kool and The Gang’s Celebrate, to Pharell’s Lucky. The song is an attempt at doing something different, which is certainly commendable but considering how heavily influenced by other songs it is, it doesn’t feel as fresh as it should. It is however very radio friendly, T.I’s flow on the song is well suited. Collabo ft. Don Jazzy; collabo, Ronaldo, Eminado. That is the song in its entirety but it’s catchy, a little reminiscent of Dorobucci by the Mavin crew. I found myself singing along to it in no time, oh, calling someone a ‘mulatto’ is a no-no, hopefully the boys understand that by now. I like Ogadigide, the melody makes up for the song’s silly lyrics.
No Be Joke is a proper R&B joint, a throwback to the boys’ early days, it’s one of the album’s highlights. Enemy ft. Awilo, this song is predictable from the guest and P-Square, I imagine it’ll be a hit with their throngs of Francophone fans but neither Awilo nor the boys brought anything memorable here. Sari Sari is my favourite song on the album, produced by Paul Okoye*, the song is drenched in that East-Side flavour, the guitar riff behind the melody, the feel good vibe emanating off the joint, this for me is the album’s zenith. Zombie ft. Jermaine Jackson is an amalgamation of Fela’s Zombie and a disco-lite groove. I like what Peter Okoye** did production-wise here. Jermaine Jackson delivered a controlled turn on the track. The boys are avid Michael Jackson fans and it’s a thrill that that much is obvious on this track.
Ije Love is the kinda song I would have thought was typical P-Square joint but it becomes clear that the song is an ode to Peter’s wife, Lola, he also sings the lead vocals on it. Listen to the track with (a good pair of) headphones and you can hear her name being repeated in the background and if you’re familiar with the recent rumours that surrounded the boys, you can’t but think this song is sweet. It’s a little bit of a window into the artist’s thoughts, yes it’s a love song of which they have plenty but this one is a real. I am therefore willing to forgive the ‘you are my ecology, you are my biology’ line. The percussion on this song makes it a joy, it is also an appropriate curtain closer.
On some of the tracks, the boys attempted to do some hiking in their house slippers, but it never quite feels like they step out of ‘Squareville’ as it were. My favourite songs are: Ije Love, Sari Sari, No Be Joke and Collabo. All in, this is not terrible work, even if it is largely predictable.
*Songs produced by Paul Okoye were done under his production tag, Rudeboy.
**Songs produced by Peter Okoye were credited to Mr. P.
This album is rated 5 out of 10.
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