After all the excitement of a joint EP from two of the most talented acts in Nigeria, Simi & Falz, I decided to give this 7-track project a review. Chemistry got a lot of well deserved hype before its released, and was one of the most anticipated projects of the year. So did it live up to the expectations? Yes & No.
The EP starts off with ‘Foreign‘, and immediately starts to show off part of what made Falz & Simi very popular; The ability to handle a theme in the most comic of ways, but still send a message across. Foreign is a satire of a song that makes fun of the many Nigerians who ‘by fire by force’ must act and talk like they are not only bigger than they actually are, but very foreign. The idea that being foreign somehow makes you better is one that’s all over Nigerian society. But the idea alone didn’t sell this song, the execution was A+, and for a first time listen, it’s just what you’d want to hear.
However, the standout track in the EP is the title track, Chemistry. In many ways it’s almost the perfect Falz & Simi song. It’s what you’d think of when you think of them together, and when you listen closely you might be able to catch some subtle messages they might be trying to tell fans. “I know I, kinda maybe really do like you, maybe me and you we can try to, do this love something, maybe there’s something there.” With that line it summarizes the whole electric atmosphere around the two that has been evident since they started working together.
Other good listens on the project include Cinderella and Shake Your Body, which brings out the fuji party in our blood. Both songs are similar in many ways, but for the tempo. Very good listens, and if you were to hear them at parties, you’d think they were straight out of KSA’s catalog.
Show You Pepper might be the down track on the album (for me anyways). It comes off as a bit, and quite honestly, pretty cheesy. Lyrically it didn’t seem to hit the spot (from both Simi & Falz), though I got the general idea of the song.
Overall, the EP is a very good one. In a period where creativity and out-of-box thinking is fading in Nigerian music, Falz & Simi capitalized on a very good working relationship *coughs*, and put out a project that will only get more appreciated with time. Many Nigerian artists can only dream of having someone they have this kind of chemistry with, let alone put out a full joint project.
However (they had to be one), the negative for Chemistry is that it’s born with very high expectations. When you compare it to Simi’s Restless EP, Falz’ Stories That Touch, and the songs they’d put out together (most notably Jamb Question Remix & Soldier) you can see how Chemistry falls a bit short. But it’s still a great project.
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