Nigerian superstar singer/songwriter/producer Simi shares her 4th solo album titled TBH(To Be Honest), an 11-track project that plays like a semi-autobiography of some sort. From her life-changing experiences in the last few years, ranging from multiple successes as an artist and becoming a mother, Simi takes listeners on a round trip from where it started to the present.
TBH(To Be Honest), starts off on an introspective note with “Story Story,” where Simi talks about her humble beginnings in the suburb of Ojuelegba in Lagos, Nigeria. Over a solemn and soulful backdrop, she muses on her early years as a struggling artist trying to convince her parents that music is her path while success was eluding her. All in all, Simi shows resilience and brings the track to a climax as she got her eventually got the breakthrough she wished for.
This is followed by “Born Again,” and “Naked Wire,” two tracks that shine bright with versatility as Simi infuses a wide variety of sounds into her repertoire. The former is an aspirational dancehall-tinged Afro-pop tune ripe with life-affirming lyrics while the latter is a mellow guitar-laden love ballad where she waxes lyrical about yearning for affection from her lover. In “Balance,” she is joined by her husband and singer Adekunle Gold for a stunning afrobeats collaboration. From the hypnotic percussion, groove, and warm textures, both Simi and Adekunle seamlessly blend their subtle melodic vocals and uplifting lyrics about savoring this thing called life regardless of the madness around.
“Easy,” is another dancehall-infused jam where Simi implores listeners to take life easy and not make things harder than they should be. “Temper,” sees the singer extolling the virtues of self-worth and contentment, while she implores listeners never to settle for less on the mellow Afropop record “Nobody.” The project closes out with the uplifting “Love For Me,” with Simi showing gratitude for God’s goodness, mercies, and grace in her life.
TBH(To Be Honest), as a whole is a brilliant body of work that channels Simi’s prowess as singer and a songwriter. Her musicality is fully formed and she doesn’t try to over-experiment rather she takes what works from different sources and infuses it with her own unique style to great effect. The production is steeped in afrobeats and r&b and the inclusion of dancehall aesthetics does lend its strengths allowing Simi to switch things up when it’s required resulting in a beautiful mix of sounds.
Other notable records on this project include the Fave assisted “Loyal,” and the celebratory love record “Logba Logba.”
