Musings on In Due Time: an Album Review
It is always fascinating to see an artist grow not only artistically but personally as well. Most times artistic growth is synonymous with ‘dense and dark’, but ‘dense and light’ is what ISAH the Prince brings to the party.
By Segun Ade-Martins
Released today on Thursday, April 11, In Due Time is a seven-track record by ISAH the Prince, featuring production from Lobi and long-time collaborator Suté Iwar.
Lobi is an Abuja-based crooner and producer known for his smooth sounds and high-register voice. Suté Iwar is a multi-talented singer-rapper-producer who paints smooth and edgy sonic scapes with a movie-like feel and is also Abuja-based.
This duo of producers creates the bedrock for ISAH the Prince to build his ‘church.’ However, this church is made of lyrics and beats intricately woven by ISAH’s ideas and thoughts.
You are wondering, is this a gospel album? The answer is yes, maybe, or not really. The truth is that ISAH the Prince could perform some of these songs on a church tour, but some may not be permitted.
Curious? Let’s run through the tracks from beginning to end.
#1: The Secret Place (produced by Lobi)
This track produced by Lobi brings you into ISAH’s ‘living room’ for dialogue about his renewed faith. “I let the higher power dictate the tempo.” This line he raps could be seen as a mission statement. Not only for the project but, more importantly, for his life as well.
He says, “Exercise my faith; I’ve been doing the reps yo.” ISAH’s verses lead you into a personal journey of pain, recovery, discovery, healing, and acceptance, which is glued together by the chorus and calm tempo of the music underneath and this line, “the secret place where I rest.”
#2: Closure (feat. Lobi) (produced by Lobi)
This song is about a past lover; however, with ISAH, you should expect something wholesome here. He delivers a super tight and packed rhyme scheme laced with deep regret.
The story is highly vivid and relatable. Overall, the song is a warm hug, ready to comfort you when you feel low from love troubles.
#3: New Bounce (produced by Suté Iwar)
ISAH, lets us know he still has bars on the first single off the project, New Bounce. I mean bars in the classic sense of super luxury braggadocious excellence. “Cruising in my lane on Ozumba, in my range, ba.”
He reminds us that he’s bringing cool back in a way that tells us that we have all been playing ‘ludo’ since his last ‘chess move.’ The swag is undeniable; this metaphor sums it up: “Come through with the mask on, emi ni Lagbaja.”
#4 Lifted by Grace (produced by Lobi)
With a line like, “40 days, I purged my ego during fasting,” you know what to expect from this track.
The title is the first signifier of a praise song, but it has stories of grounded personal experience that transfer the inspiration of walking through a “fire” to emerge free.
The choir effect in the bridge of the song solidifies the feeling of emergence.
#5 Spiritual Baddie (produced by Suté Iwar)
If Closure deals with the past, then Spiritual Baddie is about the near future. ISAH drops lines like, “I take a swim in your conscience, and you tell me to go deeper; you connect me to a higher plane; your heart is such a portal; you tell me I’m immortal, and for that, I’m super loyal.”
“Treat me like a born-again; baptise me in your oil. You are the rib I’m missing since they brought me out of the soil.” You can only imagine the strength of the bond in a relationship that ISAH seeks, built in the spiritual realm and cemented in the physical.
#6: Don’t Forgive (produced by Suté Iwar)
This mid-tempo, dance floor-bait song seems to be an outlier, along with the first single, New Bounce.
Don’t Forgive seems like an unChrist-like sentiment, but the brief song represents the valleys of being human as it alludes to the bitterness of a devastating heartbreak.
Not forgiving means not forgetting the pitfalls of red flags.
#7: The Gratitude (produced by Lobi)
The outro of this record is a super dense lyrical festival with no chorus. It’s a rapper’s delight to deliver one long verse of pure poetry to flaunt their skills.
However, here he delivers nuggets of information: “co-create with the creator; now we are better aligned.” The song ends with phrases of spoken word: “Focus on the tree, not the fruits, so the tree can bear more fruits.” The sense of gratitude after emerging from challenges is the thesis of the album: “In due time, in due season, I’m going to be on the rise.”
Summary
Even though the project may feel like it belongs on gospel radio at first listen, when you delve deeper, you see that it is boundless in its stance.
It is a fluid similar to the energy of flowing water; it takes the shape that a listener may give it.
Therefore, the best approach is to listen closely to the rhymes, the melodies, the rhythms, and the sounds to follow ISAH the Prince on his journey to a “new found” spiritual consciousness.
Originally published at http://thestrangejournal.wordpress.com on April 11, 2024.
