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Yellow (Brymo album)

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Yellow
Studio album by
Brymo
Released1 April 2020
Genre
Length47:00
Language
LabelIndependent
Producer
Brymo chronology
Live! at Terra Kulture Arena
(2019) 		Yellow
(2020) 		Libel
(2020)
Singles from Yellow
  1. "Strippers + White Lines"
    Released: 31 March 2020

Yellow is the seventh studio album by Nigerian singer Brymo, independently released on 1 April 2020.[1] The album explores hedonistic viewpoints and is a departure from the dark themes of his sixth studio album Oṣó. Brymo described Yellow as an album about "love and survival", and said it is an alternative pop and electronic record. The album is a mixture of sentimental ballad, trap, sophisti-pop, shoegaze, rock, synth-pop and folk. Nigerian singer Lindsey Abudei is the only artist to be featured on the album. Yellow was initially intended to have 17 songs but due to technical issues, two songs were omitted from the project.[2] The album was supported by the single "Strippers + White Lines", and was nominated for Best Alternative Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2020.

Background and promotion

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Yellow explores hedonistic viewpoints and is a departure from the dark themes deployed on Brymo's previous studio album Oṣó. Brymo began recording Yellow in April 2018 and completed it within 16 months. He said he recorded Yellow after becoming a different person from who he used to be.[3] Brymo unveiled the album's cover art and track list in March 2020.[4] He described Yellow as an album about "love and survival", and said it would be an alternative pop and electronic record.[5] Its cover art is a rendition of Insight and Frustrations 2020, a painting by Nigerian artist Samuel Olowomeye Ancestor,[6] whose melancholic painting depicts an eerie, half-faced female with a lit cigar in her mouth.[7] Brymo said on Instagram he was drawn to the painting after having several conversations with his friends.[6]

With the exception of "Abụ Ya", which Nsikak David and Lindsey Abudei co-produced, Yellow was produced and engineered by Brymo's frequent collaborator Mikky Me Joses.[8] The album explores topics such as love, heartbreak, socio-politics, mental health, betrayal and ego.[8][7] Yellow spans three sides and initially included seventeen tracks, six of which were recorded in English, five in Nigerian Pidgin, five in Yoruba and one in Igbo.[9] The album's three sides were numbered in Arabic, Roman and English numerals, respectively.[4] On 24 March, Brymo cited technical reasons for omitting the tracks "Iya Awele" and "Ife" from the album.[10]

The album's lead single "Strippers + White Lines" was released on 1 April 2020.[11] Mikky Me Joses produced the track, which is a mixture of R&B, alternative music and sentimental ballad.[11] "Strippers + White Lines" discusses life's struggles, depression and hope.[11] Promise Charles filmed the song's accompanying music video for In Touch Films.[12]

Composition

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Yellow is a sentimental ballad, trap, alternative pop, sophisti-pop, shoegaze, rock, synth-pop and folk album.[8] On the album's opening track "Espirit De Corps", Brymo examines the socio-politics of a decaying society; the song's production features a trap beat.[13] "Blackmail" addresses the risks emotional blackmail presents to relationships; the song contains drums and guitar solos that are commonly used in smooth jazz and soft rock.[13] "Ozymandias" is about a man who takes a woman's love without reciprocating; the song is a tale of self-criticism and self-awareness.[13] In the baroque pop track "Heartbreak Songs are Better in English", Brymo sings about his wish to emotively express his heartbreak despite his society's taboo against it.[13] The sentimental ballad "Strippers + White Lines" is symbolic of mental slavery.[13] In the ballad "Without You", Brymo sings about the problematic relationship between a man and a woman who refuse to live without each other despite acknowledging their own flaws.[13]

The neo-soul track "Woman" is dedicated to Brymo's unnamed partner, and includes drums and a bass riff. In "Black Man, Black Woman", Brymo discusses the advantages and disadvantages of gender roles and social norms.[7] The pop-infused, soul and blues track "Gambu" depicts a woman's love for an imperfect man with a reputation.[13] "Rara Rira" is an alternative pop song with a folk percussion; it describes carefree people who enjoy life and live on the edge.[13] The pop song "Brain Gain", which is reminiscent of songs by Gabriella Cilmi and Duffy, includes a trumpet solo and addresses topics such as immigration.[13][7] "Ọ̀run n Móoru" (Yoruba: "Heaven is Heated") is a ballad that criticizes gossip among chiefs and kings. In "A F'èédú Fan'ná", Brymo makes references to his grandmother and implants a proverbial fire in listeners' minds.[13] The acoustic track "Abụ Ya", which translates to "his/her hymn", is about the difficult relationship between Brymo and his lover.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pulse Nigeria9.7/10[13]

Yellow received positive critical acclaim from critics. Pulse Nigeria's Motolani Alake awarded the album a rating of 9.7 out of 10, commending Brymo for using "symbolism and metaphor to breakdown his topics".[13] Alake also notes the album is "built on resonant topics cut from the larger society".[13] Reviewing for BellaNaija, Notiki Bello called Yellow "robust and rigorous", and described it as a "well-written book of fiction that is sung without the tedious effort of thumbing through hundreds of pages".[14] Iyke Bede of newspaper This Day commended Yellow for being "a testament of years of continued honing of craft and sheer consistency, and not just another album".[7] Bede also said the album's tracks can "fit snugly into any of Brymo's past albums without one noticing any seismic shift in sound".[7]

Writing for The Lagos Review, Joy Dennis called the album a "masterpiece" and said it "details the musings of its creator, about love, psychology, the African society, and the black man".[15] The Nigerian Tribune writer Kola Muhammed praised Brymo's bilingual approach and commended him for "swathing his message with wit and metaphysical conceits".[16] In a less enthusiastic review, Dami Ajayi said Yellow "pales behind his last three studio albums" despite it "pushing his craft in new directions"; Ajayi was also critical of side A.[17] Toni Kan criticized Brymo for "producing an album with something for everyone".[18]

Yellow was nominated for Best Alternative Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2020.[19] Brymo also won Best Recording of the Year for "Ozymandias" at the ceremony.[20]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ and produced by Mikky Me Joses, except for "Abụ Ya" which was written by Lindsey Abudei and co-produced by Nsikak David and Abudei.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Espirt De Corps"2:43
2."Blackmail"3:38
3."Ozymandias"2:17
4."Heartbreak Songs are Better in English"3:53
5."Strippers + White Lines / Smart Monkey"4:24
6."Without You"4:07
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Woman"2:50
2."Black Man, Black Woman"3:41
3."Gambu"2:36
4."Rara Rira"3:24
5."Brain Gain"2:08
Side C
No.TitleLength
1."Adédọ̀tun"2:56
2."Ọ̀run n Móoru"2:29
3."A F'èédú Fan'ná"3:32
4."Abụ Ya" (featuring Lindsey Abudei)2:54
Total length:47:00

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's back cover.[4][14]

  • Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ – primary artist, writer, performer
  • Lindsey Abudei – featured artist, writer, production ("Abụ Ya")
  • Mikky Me Joses – production, engineering (all tracks except "Abụ Ya")
  • Nsikak David – production ("Abụ Ya")

Release history

[edit]
Release formats for Yellow
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 1 April 2020 CD, Digital download Independent
[21]

References

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  1. ^ Motolani Alake (1 March 2020). "Brymo releases tracklist for new album 'Yellow'". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. ^ Olabimpe O (24 March 2020). "Brymo Announces Removal Of Two Songs From Forthcoming Album "Yellow"". TooXclusive. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  3. ^ Joey Akan (6 April 2020). "Isolation with Brymo: Nigeria's Mad Music Scientist". The Nigerian Voice. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Olabimpe O (19 March 2020). "Brymo Unveils Tracklist For Forthcoming Album "Yellow"". TooXclusive. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Happiness is Coming in April! Brymo is Finally Dropping New Album "Yellow"". BellaNaija. 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b Garnish M (15 March 2020). "Brymo Unveils Album Cover for "Yellow"". Jaguda. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Iyke Bede (10 April 2020). "Brymo Got it Right on Yellow". This Day. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Motolani Alake (1 April 2020). "Brymo releases 15-track 7th studio album, 'Yellow'". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Brymo unveils Artwork for his forthcoming album". The Lagos Review. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  10. ^ Olabimpe O (24 March 2020). "Brymo Announces Removal Of Two Songs From Forthcoming Album "Yellow"". TooXclusive. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Motolani Alake (1 April 2020). "Brymo releases new single, 'Strippers + White Lines'". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Brymo premiers visuals for Strippers + White Line". P.M. News. 1 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Motolani Alake (3 April 2020). "On 'Yellow,' Brymo examines life, love, society and scenarios in three parts [Album Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  14. ^ a b Notiki Bello (8 April 2020). "Notiki Bello: Let's Talk About Brymo's Latest Project – 'Yellow'". BellaNaija. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  15. ^ Dennis, Joy (12 April 2024). ""Yellow" is Brymo's best work, thus far – Joy Dennis". The Lagos Review. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ Muhammed, Kola (10 May 2020). "Album Review: Brymo's 'Yellow' Stake For Musical Greatness". Nigerian Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  17. ^ Dami Ajayi (23 April 2020). "Annotations on Brymo's "Yellow' – Dami Ajayi". The Lagos Review. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. ^ Toni Kan (23 April 2020). "Brymo in global push with 6th studio album, "Yellow" – Toni Kan". The Lagos Review. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  19. ^ Motolani Alake (4 December 2020). "Fireboy, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Davido lead 2020 Headies nominations [Pulse Exclusive]". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Live Update: All the winners at the Headies 2020". Guardian Life. 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Yellow by Brymo". Apple Music. 1 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
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