Freedom
opens with the sounds of marching drums as the words of the poet Bash enters.
It’s almost like a revolution boistered by the words of Martin Luther King’s “I
have a dream”. This is just the introduction.
Now whether
or not the rest of the project (a spoken word album, a rarity coming out of
Nigeria and even more so, Abuja) lives up to its introduction depends on
whether or not you appreciate the art of spoken word. There are highs (This Thing You Do To Me- sure to be a
hit among women -and Please Don’t Ask Me
Why ft. Anchorman) and there are tracks that perhaps could’ve been drawn
out more to illustrate their point (Beggar
Mum, Her Infant And A Vacuum).
Though
short, some of the pieces make their point (Something
Happened In Nyanya and … About Loss),
while others make you wish they were longer, like the album’s sure to be
crossover hit I Drank From The Benue River ft. Jessica Bongos Ikwe.
The album*
ends the way it started with the sound of a revolution on Is This The Moment? featuring the beautiful vocals of Aysia. Is
this the moment that this art form finally gets some mainstream recognition in
Nigeria? Time will tell.
*We were
played a slightly different version of the album from the track-list below.
Rating: 4/5.
Bash’s Freedom will be out in a month's time. For more on Bash, please click here!
