Marizu Ikechi is a singer, songwriter who made his debut in 2017.
Four body of works later, with sufficient doses of exposure and refinement, On November 11,2022. Marizu released his 10 track Debut album titled ‘Forever’
Speaking on his album “This project was inspired by the Holy Spirit, His words, and His guidance. It is about the love of God and His attitude towards us; it is about the life that Jesus came to give and all that life entails. From the trials and tribulations we face to the peace and joy He stirs from within, even in the midst of chaos it is the joy of knowing that even with the large population of the world, I am of utmost importance to Him, and His sacrifice wasn’t just for our salvation.”
THE STARTER
Marizu on The eponymous opener ‘Forever’ with backup vocals, and sprinkle of his local dialect states the intended life shelf of his relationship with God which is - FOREVER.
On ‘Love you’ Marizu and Sal Ly with fluffy vocals trade verses on an R&B template production, with Afro drum patterns about the noncommercial love they have for their father.
‘Hallow’ isn’t as mellow as the preceding tracks. With a groovy arrangement to it and and undertone of the widely explored sub-genre; Amapiano. Marizu explores exaltation of the name Jesus and the respect he personally puts to that name.
‘Abba’ is Aramaic for Father and Marizu describes his father from two viewpoints of proximity and perceptibility. That his father is one who is closer than a brother and that his father is the type to provide even before he asks, so he doesn’t need to rely on cultural recommendations for sustainance.
Fellow label mate, CalledOut Music is enlisted on this album for the fifth track ‘present helper’ and together with Marizu, they explore the concept of supernatural provision out of love, and not necessity.
In call and response format, Marizu and Moyo tell all about the doings and sacrifice of God on ‘Tell it all’.
The Book of Romans states that no amount/type of suffering can separate us from the love of God. And that’s the same message Marizu decides to pass on this song.
With consistently synthesized keys playing in the background, Marizu sings about a bond with God that can’t be severed.
We as believers are saved by grace, and not works and that’s a hill to die on. Marizu and TKE3 share the same sentiment on ‘My deed’.
The contrast between TKE3 dancehall and Marizu laidback artistry brings a refreshing dynamism to this song.
‘My King’ is celebratory, for avid Bollywood fans, the drums on this song might ring a bell. This song has a format to it; tapping your fingers, nodding your head, swaying your feets and then bursting into a short dance. All these while reminiscing about the goodness of God.
Not every good thing last forever. The same can be said for ‘Forever’.
On the last track titled ‘Beautfier’, Marizu presents with the help of a 175 seconds song the concept of ‘grass to grace’ and how God can replace reproach with beauty.
FINAL LAP
Marizu as an artiste shoulders brilliance and emotiveness in songwriting and an occasional unpredictability with delivery. On this project, a lot of these shone brightly.
But an undoing on this project would be repetitiveness and we can look at it from two angles:
A) It is possible to have experienced, for example the Love of God so profoundly that there’s a willingness to document all that in a body of work.
B) But no matter how much A is a reality, if all that the said album references (without creatives sparks) is the love of God, no matter the quality production or features, there is a tendency to wear out the listeners.
And so for brief moments in the experience of being a listener, there was repetition.
And that isn’t an unwelcome concept when curating a project, but it has to be done with either a slim track listing or spreading it widely across in track sequencing that make up the project.
If the similarities on a track can be collapsible, then by all means, it should. It therefore means that repetition is allowed but it must be shrouded under the umbrella of creativity.
You can listen here
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