In their yearly fashion, Nigeria’s music community, WeTalkSound, a group of versatile creatives challenging the norms in the music industry with innovative ideas like the encompassing WTXtra package, shares the fourth edition of their love-themed album series, LOFN 4: A Collection Of Love Stories in the wake of Valentine’s Day celebration, promoting underground talent who are turbocharged with emotions and endowment on the fourteen track project.
Opening with Naya Akanji’s mesmeric vocals on Busy, which will undoubtedly leave listeners spellbound the same way other contemporaries including TiwaDara, Nu Baby, Mo’Believe are charged with numerous tricks, LOFN 4 in summary, is a dusky and detailed collection of love stories as the title suggests projected in different versions of the strong emotion: lusty, sturdy, affirming, and heartbreaking.
Sonically, the album is a blend of swirling sounds curated specially to stir feelings by finding their roots in low-tempo melodies in its initial stages and more upbeat instrumentals when the likes of Kemena take over on songs like Soweto and 3rvmz and thePDSTRN’s Toxic. As with its theme, classic RnB of course makes the cut on Deziire’s Love You Now and Omotayo’s Fallin’. With regard to their roots, the party of Nu Baby and KvY draw inspiration from Afropop on Like Am.
As a collaborative project, LOFN 4 is steeped in the individuality of each artist, and being up and comers, the entertainers of LOFN 4 have strong personalities that don’t fail to shine through in their deliveries. A.D.A.M and Kidda X’s are as sweet as ever on Number, powered by their sweet vocals and charm offensive while in contrast, Viveeyan is fierce on Love Me Loud and Mo’believe and Kaycekeys are meek lovers on Trouble. The poets and rappers, Bunmi Africa and AndreMussic also get their time in the sun.
As much as it can be, the album is encompassing, stretched towards becoming an embodiment of the word with its inclusivity in sound and story.