Ekene Nkemena, is a star on the rise. Kemena, as he calls himself, is much more than just a talented artist. He proves this without question on his debut album, Bond. Written, produced, mixed, and mastered entirely by him with the exception of track 9, Kemena showcases an album that is entirely his vision
Prior to making this album, the cover art had already been decided, Kemena shared on his Twitter. “I remember saying ‘Omo, this picture deserves an album’” he said, which just goes to show the vision had been there from the beginning. The end product? A well executed project in truth, albeit with a few shortcomings. Afterall, nothing in this world is perfect.
The album opens with Ibadan, a calming piano ballad, which pays homage to the city of Ibadan, where he claims he found his love. It’s a great way to start an album, akin to a cold open of a TV series, a scene before the opening credits.
“Who be that o? Wey dey disturb my baby?”, he sings protectively on International, a song about protecting his girl, and loved ones in general. Midway through the track, layered backing vocals swoop in for a brief assist on the chorus. The song closes with the beat fading out for a bit, making way for a small acoustic guitar solo, just before the beat comes back in to close out the song.
Only you, a jazzy bop, tackles infidelity in a relationship, and the troubles that ensue. “It might be only you, wey fit carry me on this cruise” he sings with pain in his voice. It’s an accusation. A declaration of disappointment, directed at a breach of trust. It’s not a moment to wallow in sadness, and I like that. The track ends with the phrase “the boy is a nice boy”, first heard on International, and a phrase repeated throughout this album. It’s unclear if it refers to him or has a deeper meaning, but it’s a recurring theme on this project, and the consistency is a nice touch.
By the time the project’s fourth track begins, it’s clear this is a love album. By all means. A faster paced track than its predecessors, High Tension is reminiscent of a Major Lazer track, and Kemena really flexes his production muscles on this one. Backing vocals accompany him to the crescendo of this track, an amazing beat drop that’s definitely worth the wait.
Besides the tempo and production of the track, it’s about a lover whom he showers with praise as he says “You deserve a standing ovation”. It still explores the themes of love just as the rest of the songs do, albeit with a faster paced approach. It’s easily one of the standouts on this album.
Kemena shows us his eastern side with the track Inugo, an Igbo word which translates to “have you heard?”. On this track, the word emphasises the rejection from a girl, as she says “Kemena inugo, you’re not the man I know”. The subtle guitar on this is heavily Igbo-centric, just in case the title of the track wasn’t clear enough. It’s a slow moment on the album, but definitely not a dull one.
We have a downtempo rap tune in Pick Up, emphasised by smaller beat drops sprinkled throughout the track, the title and lyrics seem to allude to hooking up, only this time with Kemena in the drivers’ seat as he says “I love my main chick but I wanna take you for a ride”. It’s not a bad track, but definitely not the best on this album. I don’t swing either way with this one. Decent song.
A contender for the top spot on this album, Feeling is about falling in love. Mutual love, and unconditional love. It’s a song that’s almost a cheat code for anyone trying to curate a wedding playlist. The heartwarming lyrics combined with the well-placed instrumentals and beat drops are a testament to Kemena’s knack for production. Everything is where it should be. 10/10 song in my opinion.
Kicking off with disconcerting guitar chords, Ye is a dark tune. It’s about taking a last shot at love. It’s brooding and serious. Kemena showcases a more serious side with this one, singing with authority and conviction. That being said, it’s just okay.
Arguably the best song on the album, Isi Mbido, which translates to “the beginning”, has a Carribean feel to it. Again revisiting the theme of rejection, the message of this track can get lost in its vibes. Worthy of note, it’s the only track not produced by Kemena himself. The outside help is much welcomed though, it’s an amazing track. On the chorus he suggests to the girl “let’s go back to the start like Isi Mbido”, and although it’s just a lyric, it’s something you’re gonna be doing a lot when you listen to this song.
Call Me slows things down again, a song about reassurance. It’s about letting loved ones know you’re there for them. Accompanied by a guitar loop and the occasional sax note, Kemena sings “If you’re feeling lonely just call on me o”. Midway through he attempts some falsetto lines, and while they’re not bad, the song can definitely do without them.
While I’ve been holding off on saying this the entire album, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Jacob Banks and Kemena. And that’s not to say he’s jacking his style, it’s an observation.
This similarity is very apparent on Deep, a rebellious tune. It’s about realising that it’s time to move on from a relationship and let go. The song gets faster as it progresses, and the drum kit is very essential to this track. “If you ever use your ogboju to disturb my life, you will find out that by tomorrow I’ve opened my eyes” he sings on the chorus. He’s issuing a warning here. It comes from a place of anger, a place we’ve all been after a frustrating relationship. Towards the end of the song, a clapping complements his vocals, almost as if to cheer him on. He ends the track with “The boy is a… you already know”. I think he realises by this point, we should’ve caught on.
Employing a higher pitch at the beginning of Something I Knew, Kemena introduces the song a bit differently than the other songs on this album. “What is the matter, what should I do?” he asks, as the song questions the direction to be taken after a failed relationship. There’s a beat drop with a nice piano, but there’s an incomprehensible and distracting sound that almost ruins it. Almost. Other than that it’s a good closer. One would think it’s the end of the album.
The actual closer, Superpowers is probably my least favorite track, although it has one of my favorite lyrics on the album. “I worked a million hours to get my superpowers”, this lyric emphasises that Kemena has put in the time and effort to get where he is, and now that he has his “superpowers”, I can’t wait to see where they take him next.
