At the start of the new decade, Fave was amongst the new generation of genre-malleable popstars that broke through. Her distinct vocal texture and dancehall leaning deliveries, easily set her apart from her peers.
Fave began to garner mainstream attention, when she managed not one but two features on Olamide’s 9th studio album, UY Scuti in 2021. And then shortly after, her breakthrough moment would happen with the smash-hit Baby Riddim. Unlike the breakthrough songs of most artists, that only manage to be a resonant moment, Baby Riddim highlighted Fave’s sonic identity and till date is still one of her best records. Her reggae-infused flows, the dancehall fusion in the production and her impressive writing were all on display.
In the last quarter of 2021, Baby Riddim would peak at the top of the charts and establish her as a force to be reckoned with. Capitalizing on her momentum, she would release her debut EP, titled Riddim 5 in January 2022. It was an underrated body of work that was one of the best EPs that year, and excelled so well at showcasing the true extent of Fave’s artistry. However, there was not another mainstream resonant moment on it and it didn’t produce another hit record. Since then, Fave has sparsely released music but has managed to maintain her relevance nonetheless. On Davido’s Timeless, she had the best guest performance as Kante was pivotal in making a case for the project being album of the year.
And now, she is back with her sophomore EP, Dutty Love. In this writer’s opinion, this EP arrived a year too late as Fave had managed to build some impressive momentum for herself, off the success of Kante and other features—in contrast to 2024, that has largely being a quiet year. But now that the music is finally here, does it live up to expectations and does what Fave needs it to do?
Dutty Love Song is the EP opener and it has Fave singing over an instrumental, that’s derivate of the mainstream pop sound of Amapiano and Afrobeats fusion. To its credit, it’s not the usual sonic template and the beat is more house and electronic music leaning in its fusion. Fave impresses with her cadences and waxes poetic about the euphoria of love and how intoxicating it could get. It’s a solid entry point into the EP and sets the right tone for it.
Complicated is more up Fave’s R&B and Swing fusion alley, and has Damie—her longtime and frequent collaborator, returning to the helm of production. The song is everything you want from an emotive Afro-R&B song with a soulful vocal delivery and heartfelt words that tug at the heart strings, in emphasizing the significance of one’s love interest. Controlla is the pre-released single that’s also mainstream leaning with its Amapiano fusion, but unlike the EP opener it’s less house and more log drums. It makes sense as a single, with its sing-along esque chorus and overall simplistic structure that aids resonance. However, as a song it’s only decent.
Juju is another beautiful, emotive R&B song like Complicated, that has Fave totally swooning about the delirium of love and the potency of her lover’s spell on her. Where she was more wary and exhibiting caution on Complicated, she’s willfully letting go on Juju and succumbing to the overwhelming love that’s encompassing. Lose My Mind has the same competent writing you’ll find across the album, but the production doesn’t do it justice. The beat doesn’t get out of gear one and is hardly dynamic. It does get better after multiple listens and has a quite catchy chorus, but like Controlla—it’s a better single, than it is a song.
Despite being a lover girl and losing herself in the waves of passion, as made pixel clear in the prior songs—on No Games, Fave states affirmatively that she doesn’t want to “play no fucking games.” Indeed desire could be all-consuming and intoxicating, but she of all people knows the dangers of losing herself totally all in the name of love. And on the drill-infused EP closer, Belong To You—it’s all positive words of affirmation. She had emphasized her stance on remaining grounded and stated that she’s not to be messed with, so it only makes sense to follow it up with statements that still highlight the fact that she belongs to her love interest.
For the Fave devout, this long-awaited EP would suffice for them as once again like her debut EP, it showcases her strengths as an artist well. However, for casuals—it might not be enough, as it has limited range and the music isn’t exactly as dynamic as it was on her debut project. Nonetheless, it’s still a good enough EP that could generate a moment for her, as that’s all that matters the most currently.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion & Unharried Transitions: 1.5/2.0
Expansive Production: 1.3/2
Songwriting: 1.5/2
Delivery: 1.3/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.3/2
Total: 6.9/10
