BNXN wields some of the finest melodies and penmanship in Nigerian music. His enthralling vocal runs and silky writing have earned him success, which he matches with the braggadocio of a musician fully aware of what he carries.
However, his greatest assets are also his most notable weakness, which pops out when he’s compelled to offer larger parts of his artistry on long-form projects.
The singular approach to his debut album‘Sincerely, BNXN’ highlighted the painfully obvious limit of his range.
This is the same story of his sophomore album‘Captain’, where, for all his talent, he seems capable of only making one type of music shaped by touchy mid-tempo melodies punctuated by wavy pop rap.
Rather than displaying dynamism by shapeshifting along genre lines, BNXN maintains the same cadence and approach that’s simply uninspiring on a 16-track album.
Ahead of the release of his sophomore album, he put his strongest foot forward with the release of the delightful ‘Phenomena’, suave ‘Fi Kan We Kan’ featuring Rema, and the warm ‘Very Soon’ with Afrobeats’ next big star FOLA.
He also placed himself in a position where he had something to prove after his beef with the 30BG crew, which he approached with the confidence of an artist with superior talents and abilities.
With the demands to walk the talk, BNXN spent a good part of‘Captain’singing about his superior talent and ability rather than showing them through the music.
In the cover art of his debut LP, BNXN is delicately sculpted in a static state. If he was mostly emotional and introspective on his debut, he’s more upbeat and defiant on his sophomore.
In the cover art, he’s surrounded by 16 soldiers representing the number of tracks and possibly representing his fanbase, which he captains and acts as his first line of defense.
Although having the company of his unit, BNXN admits to sometimes feeling alone. A lone wolf making his way through the wild. “I feel I am all alone, on my own,” his melodies emote on the opener, where he shares that alcohol would do little to aid his pain while expertly switching between English, Pidgin, and Yoruba.
While he has the dynamism to switch languages as is common in Afrobeats, he fails to switch his flow as he settles for the familiar, which tires out listeners halfway into the album, especially since the production, while top-notch, caters to his linear approach.
He sings about the fast, flashy life of a star in over his favoured mid-tempo production of ‘Set Up’ next to Afrobeats hitmaker Seyi Vibez, who has been on a run of collaborations with his new label mates.
Although the lyrics paint clear pictures of their aspirational lifestyle, their delivery fails to match the flamboyance they aimed to convey.
Making slow-burning R&B records is a department where BNXN thrives, and for some parts of this album, his dreamy melodies offered kaleidoscopic experiences to match. He melodiously slides through ‘Pheonemena’ where he echoes the subtle philanderer’s creed (just a little philandering) previously shared by many, including Fuji Music Icon King Saheed Osupa.
On ‘Cutesy’, he whispers his way into the heart of his love interest and listeners. FOLA’s captivating declaration of romantic affection and ambitions sets the path for BNXN’s muffled melodies to shine on ‘Very Soon’.
On ‘Laye Mi’, his mastery of the Yoruba language shines as he declares his desire to live on his terms and his unflinching confidence in his success.
The minted tracks, however, leave more to be desired, especially when experienced in stretch.
