Album Review: Refazed: Rejuvenated, Faze comes back strong

Album- Refazed

Artiste- Faze

Features- 2Face Idibia, Black Face, Vector

Label- Independent Entertainment (2012)

After a couple of missteps last year, Faze releases his fourth studio album Refazed  without a hit single in heavy rotation or a colourful music video getting heavy airplay. The former Plantashun Boy is so confident of his talent that he drops an album without the obligatory hype. Truth be told, we know what Faze can do, from his Plantashun Boyz days to his solo career.

‘I’m okay musically, physically and mentally, like Fela Kuti and Marley. If you check out my history you’ll never forget me…I’m okay’ sings Faze on the album opener ‘I’m Okay’ in a bid to reassure his fans that he’s still got the magic touch. To show that he’ also ‘current,’ Faze crafts an Azonto track on ‘Follow Your Mind’ which sounds like a P-Square creation. ‘Follow Your Mind’ is a rare Azonto creature, as it’s not as fast-paced as other Azonto songs. Faze is also confident enough to sing on the song and not just ride the beat. ‘Butterflies’ is a pop song with European heritage that shows that Faze has been studying trends, and the song works- a couple of years out of the game haven’t really hurt Faze’s talent.

It’s no secret that Faze is one of the best R&B singers in the country, and he chooses to flex his pipes on ‘Secret’- a cool R&B song. ‘Take off your clothes; I’m ready to take you on a cruise. I know you are ready to roll. Can you keep a secret?’ asks Faze on one of the standout tracks on his new LP. ‘Good Wife’ which eschews the virtues of a good woman eerily sounds like Faze’s hit single ‘Faze Alone’. Here, it seems Faze is trying to re-create the formula of his debut single; he even sneaks the name ‘Angel Gabriella’ (angel Gabriella was the title of a song in Faze’s first album) in the song. ‘Good Wife’ is a good track, but would have been better if ‘Faze Alone’ didn’t exist.

The past is still heavy on Faze’s mind. ‘Everybody get their own time. Today fit be your own, tomorrow fit be mine. So hear what I say, don’t think twice, see am talking from experience no be lie’ he sings on ‘Reality Check’. His sermon on patience and hardwork is sort of biographical, if you remember that Faze had to fight for his spot in an era monopolized by his former band mate 2face Idibia. Coming from an authentic place, ‘Reality Check’ hits the mark.

‘Sweetie Sweetie’ is a dance track straight from the confectionery. ‘My Girl’ featuring Vector is a tale of a man longing for another man’s girl. Faze brings his high-pitched voice and Vector’s witty lines (wanna know the reason I can’t cheat on your down time/I’m still an Arsenal fan) to deliver more pop candy. ‘Nkem’ sounds tepid, one of the few wrong turns on the album.

Plantashun Boyz fans will be definitely like ‘Best of the Best’ which features all the three members of the iconic pop group. The trio go down memory lane, recollect their hits and pledge to be still on top. It’s a standard Plantashun Boyz song complete with Faze’s patent (annoying) shrill and a rap verse from Black Face.

17 tracks long, Refazed might be a bit too long for your average listener, but Faze makes few mistakes on his new LP. He sounds rejuvenated after a couple of years in the wilderness. He’s been re-fazed, no doubt, and now it’s time for the public to acknowledge that.