Davido’s 5ive is smooth, stylish, safely unambitious

Run time: 49 minutes

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“5ive is the rhythm of life. A number that speaks of balance like the pillars holding the sky and the roots deep in the earth.”

Those are the opening lines of ‘5ive’, the fifth studio album of Grammy-nominated artiste Davido, delivered by Nigerian poet Alhanislam.

Since its release on 18 April, the album has generated mixed reactions from Davido’s fans and others alike, with many claiming it is his best work yet.

Speaking about the album’s title, Davido said, “I call it ‘5ive,’ obviously it’s my fifth album. But after I called it ‘5ive,’ I went to do more research on the number five and what it entails, which is like a symbol of hope, grace, change, and growth.

The 17-track project boasts international and local features from foreign artists Chris Brown, Victoria Monét, Becky G, and Afrobeats acts like Omah Lay and Victony.

‘Anything’

It opens with ‘Anything’, a subtle message to his critics and affirming his faith in God.

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Davido has always been the target of constant trolling, not only by his industry colleagues but also by their fans, or starship, as present-day parlance goes.

‘Be There Still’

In this track, Davido, famously known as the Omo Baba Olowo (OBO), hints that despite spending over a decade in the industry, he is still a work in progress.

“I want to have it all. Still, dey finds my result. Na God dey bless me all the way. Twelve years, I’m still on top. And my cup runneth over,” he sings.

‘CFMF’

An acronym for Can’t Feel My Face, Davido veers into the topic of most music lovers: love and money.

In CFMF, the singer drops his OBO toga to sing about a rewarding career he built from scratch.

“It started from face me, I face you (Face me, I face you). And now, I am living real large all thanks to Jesu (all thanks to Jesu). This your backside makes me holla Jesu. I no go disgrace you,” Davido croons.

‘10 Kilo’

The love theme continues in ‘10 Kilo’, the body of a significant other that makes him want to gyrate.

‘Offa Me’ ft Victoria Monét

Monét’s hook sets the tone for the song and what it’s about. The American singer and songwriter beckons on Davido to show the stuff he’s made of, even as she offers to match his energy.

She sings, “And I’ll give you all of me So pretty, come take this off of me, yeah, yeah, yeah I’ve been thinking, I want you to come take this off of me Come and show me what it is that you’ve got to offer me. On the low, we can go all night.”

‘R&B’ ft Shenseea and 450

Although titled R&B, the song is full of reggae/dancehall from Caribbean artiste Shenseea.

With this song, the Afrobeats artiste continues to sing about that girl whose “gat” him “feeling confused” and how he’s more than willing to spend his last dime on her.

“Say my baby fine pass a million times. Me, I don’t mind spending all of my dime. Say na you me I choose, you me I choose. Girl, this your body got me feeling confused,” he sings.

‘Nuttin Dey’

With a killer hook, this track stands out from the others. With ‘Nuttin Dey, ’ the award-winning artiste takes a break from romance to defy naysayers while reaffirming his strong belief in God.

He sings, “Man no be God oh (Baddest) Man no be God oh (Shepe). Say man be God oh, money for don finish ohh (For don finish). Attention, I don come yawa no dey (Yawa no dey). Distraction I don’t want, cause the time no dey (Time no dey). They wan know if I don stop, I just dey start oh.”

‘Titanium’ ft Chris Brown

One would expect a Chris Brown feature to tower above the others in terms of production efforts, but it ranks the same.

Barely above average, even Chris Brown’s lyrics are not as heavy-hitting as expected.

Review

Before the album’s release, Davido promised, “I feel like this album touches every corner of the world: Latin, Caribbean, African, Francophone, French,” he said, highlighting the album’s diverse influences.

Although ‘5ive’ is not a run-of-the-mill album, it is also not a genius in the mould of ‘If’ and ‘Fall’, both Platinum-selling singles.

The quality of the tracks suggests that Davido released the album because it was time for another one, not because he was ready.

READ ALSO: Davido releases fifth studio album

Despite this notion, ‘5ive’ is doing well in the US.

Despite the mixed reviews, ‘5ive’ is making waves in the US. According to recent statistics published in Billboard Magazine, the album debuted at No. 2 on the World Albums chart, earning 7,000 equivalent album units in its April 18-24 opening week.

The magazine also reports that 16 of the album’s 17 songs populate this week’s 50-position chart, which ranks songs based on a formula blending U.S. streaming and sales totals.

Verdict: 6/10