Young Jonn’s reluctance to abandon the well-known tricks from his debut album
Young Jonn creates 16 tracks on “Jiggy Forever,” and while they sound well together, they are too similar to each other to make for a very engaging listen.
Young Jonn understands when he has a great song on his hands, like his chart-topper “Dada,” for which he enlisted megastar Davido for the remix. Young Jonn spent the better part of a decade creating era-defining singles for Nigerian music giants.
Young Jonn had a breakthrough hit, which piqued his interest in hit singles. His subsequent releases, “Xtracool,” “Aquafina,” “Shaperly,” “Go Home,” and “Big Big Things,” were strongly influenced by the Amapiano export that rules the Nigerian mainstream.
Young Jonn releases his debut album “Jiggy Forever” from the position of a hit-making popstar. The record, predictably, features party-starting Pop hits but falls short of having enough tracks to fully convey the breadth of his skill.
Considering the tracks that Young Jonn has released in the last 18 months, it is not surprising that he decided to rely nearly solely on well-known Amapiano-styled production. Those who are disappointed by this predictability, nevertheless, nonetheless feel let down by the artist who created the highly regarded ‘Love Is Not Enough’ EP.
“Jiggy Forever” has the same flaws as other recent Nigerian pop albums, which are the result of musicians choosing to stick to the formulaic style that made them popular.
Even though he is a well-known producer, Young Jonn never dares to try something new or improve the familiarity and predictability of his music. For more than forty-two minutes, Young Jonn performs several renditions of the same song, none of which is better than the others. He filled the record with tracks that all sounded the same, but with guest appearances adding a little something more.
The use of log drums and well-known tunes on “Pot of Gold” eclipse the Chinese folk strings. The same production and delivery are used when Young Jonn sings on “Bahamas” about living the life of a rockstar.
Even Seyi Vibez’s outstanding verse couldn’t redeem the song from its dullness; if Young Jonn’s lover boy musings on the Magicsticks-produced “Aquafina” emphasize his attachment to Amapiano, then his hedonistic confessions on “Big Big Things” imply an unhealthy affixation to log drum.
On ‘Jeje,’ ‘Shine Shine,’ and ‘Full My Tank,’ featuring Don Jazzy, who appears to be following Young Jonn’s lead and lays an unimpressive verse marked by repetitive words and melodies, Young Jonn uses identical drum arrangements and delivery.
Even if “Stronger,” an Amapiano-influenced heartbreak album, and “Sharpally,” a charming melody, stand out among nearly ten other records with a similar sound. Young is hampered by his routine and reluctance to leave the comfortable.
The repetition and reluctance to deviate from the known are what hinder Young Jonn’s first album.
When Young Jonn departs from the familiar Amapiano/uptempo party-staring production, as on the Blaisebeat-produced “Bucket List,” we get to hear the best of the album. The guest musicians, who take the lead in guiding the tracks into more daring areas, are the project’s most captivating element.
The Konto bounce song “Showcase,” produced by Babybeats, features a powerful verse from labelmate Blaqbonez.On “Hold On,” Telz’s masterful folk drums provide a relief from the grating log drum, and Sean Paul challenges Blaqbonez for the best verse on the record. After enduring a dull run punctured only by Blaqbonez’s ‘Showcase,’ a strong run of three tracks culminates with Ya Levis’ seductive francophone melodies lifting ‘Maya Maya’ and Zlatan’s swaggering verse.
Predicting an artist’s aural direction doesn’t lessen the quality of their work or make it any less satisfying, but only if they find innovative methods to apply themselves to raise the familiar to new and different levels. Young Jonn’s debut album didn’t succeed in doing this.
Young Jonn creates 16 tracks on “Jiggy Forever,” and while they sound well together, they are too similar to each other to make for a very engaging listen. Even though the album demonstrates the potential of a true Afrobeats hitmaker, it is not a very strenuous endeavor.
