Sabali is a Bambara word that means patience. When music star Peruzzi adopted it as the title of his sophomore album, I found it intriguing and timely. After more than two years of inconsistent sonic releases, the former DMW signee returned with this long-awaited album: a huge feature list and an array of genres.
Although Peruzzi hasn’t released many songs in recent times, his songwriting skills are noticeable on Davido’s last two albums. His writing skill has never been in doubt; he has been able to translate that into a performing musician. He struggles. He is just another example of the industry’s typical way of acknowledging talent, and it stops at that.
Peruzzi understands all these antics; no wonder on this album, he constantly refers to the side talks, negative comments and more. He heard everything loud and clear. For anyone still in doubt, “Die It” clears such thought. Over a mild piano chord and Highlife-based crowd vocal, he gets egged on as he narrates his travails, conquers the naysayers, and more. Peruzzi embraces his Igbo roots on this album; he even sings in the Igbo language and dabbles in Igbo Highlife. “Nuff Respect” addresses his break; he gave reasons. Usually, Jesse Jagz delivered a verse. Ironically, both artistes have always been inconsistent in song release. Peruzzi acknowledges his mastery of “Cooking Pot”; the production is built on a drum, synth, and baseline. “Baseline” celebrates the voluptuous body of a lady; an infatuated Peruzzi profusely expresses his desires.
Sabali is a fusion of sound, although they sometimes get mislabeled; nevertheless, it doesn’t diminish the beauty of the album. “Ecstasy” is a sweet mix of Afrobeats and Dancehall; the superb production already sets the tone for a beautiful time out with Jujuboy and Nana Kwabena coming forth with a skillfully delivered chorus. Rising star Kemuel gets mistaken for Ckay on “You.” While the soul of the track is in R&B, the drum patterns are in Dancehall; Peruzzi’s delivery rarely takes the song anywhere. Wizkid’s influences are noticeable on the track, too.
Peruzzi jumps from one genre to another; the listeners rarely settle in before he takes them to the next genre. He calmly does this, with the fans rarely noticing the unusual. The Cavemen’s assistance on “Mad Oh” comes off so well; three Igbo dudes exploring Highlife for a romantic time out. Terri and Bella Shmurda come up on “Normal Person” as the trio relates their hypnotising experience with a girl. The trend continues on “One Thing.” “Apala Drill” is actually Tungba Juju; it is not even close to the 20th-century genre. Davido and Peruzzi gave the fans an eccentric collaboration; the production was put to good use.
The last six tracks feature seven artistes. On “Time of My Life,” Peruzzi explores a soulful beat pattern; he raps like Gino, rapping about his perseverance amidst life complexities. If he wants, Peruzzi can give your favourite rapper a hard time. Hedonism was taken to a new height on the 13th track; Zlatan Ibile and The Flowolf aligned with the message. Hedonism oozes from these tracks; it’s either Peruzzi is salivating about coitus, relieving some experiences or trying to win over a loved one. The mastery of production exhibited on “Mi Crazon” is difficult to ignore. Timaya, the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa, comes up on “A Night to Remember,” another pleasure-seeking themed track. DMW reunited on “Perfect Situation”; it sounded old with the artistes struggling to outshine one another. The album ends with a gratitude-filled “Holy Water.”
Peruzzi is matchless. His craftiness and mastery are distilled on this album. As expected, there is a track for everyone; his versatility as an artiste gets spotlighted. Not even the featured artistes could outshine him.
DOWNLOAD: ‘SABALI’ BY PERUZZI
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