Moelogo “Me”: A Track By Track Review
Moelogo spoke about how being vulnerable was a major goal he wanted to cross off with this project, he admitted to exploring his versatility, while trying to maintain his identity. He also wants to defy expectations this time; he believes melancholy might be his most explored emotion in his music.
This EP might change that for some listeners as his aim is to make people feel his vulnerability, appreciation, happiness, freeness, and relief. Without further ado, a song by song review.
We find Moleogo urging his love interest to be as honest as she can be. To level with him regardless of his past (or present) transgressions in his native Yoruba. He crisscrosses between languages a lot on this project and he shows it from the jump. Rife with percussion and a lead guitar evocative of a beer parlor. From the get, we can tell that the interpretation of the palm wine sound is all Moelogo’s.
The South London resident shows his indigenous highlife background on the next song. The cross-cultural fundamentals are apparent. He swaggers along with the beat effortlessly and lays his claim to his partner in a way only a Yoruba man can. With horns blaring when the bridge kicks in and house drums laying a baseline
Midway through the project on “I Wonder”, Moelogo’s subject matter is slightly more centered on life, its troughs, and peaks. He speaks about the experience being a necessary teacher and he examines friendships in the most careful manner. The phrase “aye le”, directly translates to, “life is hard”. This is a song about the struggle in general, irrespective of where you live or are from. Moelogo taps into his choir background to power through this one but the hints are very subtle, the guitars are still present here but they possess a more ethereal quality this time.
Sango + Oya might be conceptually the best song on this EP. Moelogo deifies both his love interest and himself, wards off any opposition, and lays claim to her undivided attention and focus. He does not lean too heavily on the lead guitar this time around; the horns are occasional and complimentary of the contemporary Afrobeat groove with some of the most compelling percussion on the EP.
R&B is one of the more exploited sounds for Moelogo, it makes perfect sense that he saved his most familiar genre for last. At 42 seconds, he hits the coldest note possible on the album. If nothing stays with you after this project, it should be noted that vocally, very few are touching Moelogo. He only took it up a notch for barely a moment and you can instantly tell he held back for the most part of the EP, primarily showing off the tailored production efforts of his team. Piano and acoustic guitar accompany his silky vocals throughout the forlorn ballad, as he questions his decision-making process in his lyrics.
This EP can be considered another notch on the veteran’s belt with the goals he set out to achieve met and more importantly, it has started the ball rolling for his three-part series. In his own words, he is set to drop two more EPs “filled with good vibes, some sad songs but most importantly, relatable music” in the coming months to close out the series.
Listen to “Me” here:
Words by: Abdul-Jabbar Obiagwu