Just like the title implies, Spinall’s seventh studio album is made with the intention of being a good time.
Spinall is one of Afrobeats foremost DJs and prominent tastemakers in the country and overseas, with a wealth of resources that dwarfs most of his counterparts. It is through his relationship with numerous superstars and budding talents, that he crafts an album that is sonically grounded in Afrobeats current soundscape.
Èkó is Lagos and the city is not only the commercial hub of the nation, but also its party headquarters. Basically Èkó Groove translates to the sentiment of partying hard in the party scene and rave gatherings. The music is very atmospheric and the production is immersive. There is almost nothing here that wouldn’t work at a party function, when blasted at loud volumes over overhead speakers. However, it’s a two edged sword because why some songs make for good atmospheric music, others are merely background noise.
The eponymously titled album opener sets the mood for the album, featuring the key elements that permeate the entirety of the album. Rhythmic guitar strings, jazz horns and Amapiano rattles. It smoothly segues into Want You, which retains the beat. JayO deplores an R&B flow and adulates his love interest in a bid to get a chance to please her sexually. Destin Conrad’s silk vocal texture is a nice contrast to JayO’s and they both blend seamlessly.
Victony continues his run of features and appears on Early, produced by Blaisebeatz. The song deviates from the LP’s Amapiano roots and heads deep into Afro House territory. Victony leaves the heavylifting to the production and takes a minimalist approach, which works for the album’s immersion. Buju Banton and Summer Walker is featured on the Reggae fusion, Struggle and both artists sing about powering through obstacles and paying no care to the detractors.
It’s not a bad song, but it’s so painfully unoriginal that it wouldn’t make any impression. Aunt Mary is one of the stronger songs on the LP and ShineTTW’s sultry voice fits like a glove into the highlife synths that define the song. He waxes poetic about how intoxicating his woman is and how he loves being delirious. DarkoVibes also shines on the track, but it’s Shine that steals the show.
Tay Iwar makes the best of the uptempo beat of Forward, but his rich vocals and empirical approach to writing heartbreak anthems would have been better utilized somewhere else. Wanting is more of the same atmospheric, hyper ambient music. Taves turns in a decent perfomance and while he varies his delivery more than Tay on the previous track, he fails to have a moment and mostly sounds like he’s drowning in the beat.
The beat of Kerosene is kinetic and bouncy, and a refreshing break from the Amapiano fusion elements of the album’s bulk. Young Jonn finds some interesting pockets and sings about living life to the fullest, but he doesn’t quite stick the landing because of a lackluster chorus. The less said about Loju, the better. It’s one of the lowest points of Wizkid’s feature catalogue and while the production flatters his uninspired delivery and makes the song listenable, it’s still a chore getting through most of it.
Excited is another deep Afro-House cut that has a South African sonic DNA embedded in it. Ami Faku’s hook is enough to get you up on your feet and move, but minimal that you don’t get the distracted from the song’s real magic – the production. Niniola gets little space to impress, but her vocals are lively and exciting as always. Miami plays like a b-tec Morowore, which makes sense because both songs are produced by Semzi.
Shaolin-esque flutes simmer beneath the surface and Olamide’s hook might be nowhere near his best but it’s catchy and that works for the mainstream aspirations of the song. T.I’s rap also elevates the song to a good extent and the song would have definitely fared better with Olamide rapping also and both rappers, feeding each other’s energy.
P.prime produced the Omah Lay and Tyla collaboration, One Call. This is song is one that leaves you wanting more, not because of its inherent quality but because of its lost potential. When you put two of the continent’s most talented new generation artists on a beat made by the most prominent producer at the moment, the results should be better. Tyla’s vocal performance is powerful and even stirring, but it’s a fundamental A&R problem. Omah Lay might have phoned it in, but this direction wasn’t the best for both artists.
Living is a filler track that treads familiar sonic territory, that Excited did but the lack of convincing deliveries from the featured acts and the bland production makes it an almost guaranteed skip. Psalm 23 is another derivative Amapiano fusion pop song, that sounds like the gazillion of its variants that has flooded the mainstream since 2022, but Teni’s trademark energetic delivery does salvage it somewhat and adds much needed personality to it.
Spinall’s Èkò Groove is atmospheric music, with ambience at its most effective at parties with immersive sound systems and manic atmospheres. In itself though, it is background music at best that will most likely fail to leave any lasting impression whatsoever on the listener.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion: 1.5/2
Expansive Production: 0.8/2
Songwriting: 1.0/2
Delivery: 1.0/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.0/2
Total: 5.3/10
