The ‘Timeless’ journey through Davido’s fourth studio album

The release of a highly anticipated studio album or single has become a tradition in Nigerian music, particularly for performers who are at the top of their game and have large fan bases both online and offline. As the release date and time are revealed, fans start to wait and wonder what kind of sound and feel the musical body of work will usher into the 21st-century classical music age where Afrobeats has attracted attention from all over the world.

David Adeleke, professionally known as Davido released his much anticipated fourth studio album ‘Timeless’ at midnight on March 31 2023. The album featured a wide variety of musical acts from around the world, representing a range of ages and musical genres.

After taking a sabbatical to mourn the passing of his three-year-old son Ifeanyi Adeleke, which shocked many music lovers in Nigeria and throughout the world, the album marked his return to the music scene.

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Timeless

Davido’s discography which now consists of four studio albums, one EP, numerous singles, and features, has over the past decade has served as a time capsule through the different eras of modern music for music lovers in Nigeria. The 17 song album is a mix of sound which shows a different side of Davido that music fans have not seen from the artist since the release of his first major single ‘Dami Duro’ that shot him into the lime lights in 2012.

The album touches on his affirmation to stay in the game no matter the obstacles faced in the first track ‘Over Dem’ when he sings “If dem wan turn goliath, I be David for life. Oluwa dey my side.” The lyrics likened his recent experiences to the popular biblical story of David and Goliath and affirms he has God on his side to see him through the struggles he faces.

The album makes references to love and affection in songs like “Feel,” in which Davido sings of his love for his lady, and “In The Garden,” in which Morravey, a recently signed DMW 2.0 act from Port Harcourt, uses the chorus to describe a special moment she experienced in a garden with a loved one.

The first half of the album gives good melodic feel as Davido sounds more relaxed than ever while giving his Afropop style in songs like Precision; and Godfather while his features add vocals to songs like BOP.

Diverse Features

Looking at the album’s feature lineup, Davido appears to be more deliberate in his artist selection with the goal of winning international accolades like the Grammy body in addition to expanding his global fanbase. Tracks like “Na Money” demonstrate Davido’s exploration of a more traditional flair with The Cavemen, who add their contemporary highlife style and African powerhouse Angelique Kidjo to give Davido a look that many fans haven’t seen before.

From Fave’s hypnotic vocals on ‘Kante’ that almost liken the act of Tems in ‘Essence’ to Dexta Daps from Jamaica, and Skepta from the UK, each artists gives their unique style which looks unforced and easily enjoyable for the neutral Afrobeat fans.

Another newbie, who is also a member of the redesigned DMW2.0 label, embraces his parts in the song “Picasso” and appears to be someone to watch in the near future. Davido, who is no stranger to developing artists, has in the past introduced the Nigerian music scene to talents like Mayourkun, Dremo, and Peruzzi who were the first set of the DMW roster and critical of the music community in the mid 2010s.

The musical work of producer Magicsticks can be heavily felt in tracks like Unavailable; Away; and No Competition which features a familiar act Asake, with whom he produced all 12 tracks off his ‘Mr Money In The Vibe’ album that became an instant hit globally in 2022. On the album, other producers, such Yung Willis, can be seen working on tunes like the 16th song, ‘LCND’.

Davido on his social media handle said “The journey from my last album to this album has been a whirlwind to say the least. I recall sitting & staring over the ocean not too long ago, wondering if I could get here again, after all I’ve been through but with your love & support, we made it. I’m not sure what comes after this but I wanted to give you my heart, soul and energy.”

He finally showed his appreciation to his friends and family who helped him in the creative process, especially his wife Chioma Adeleke.