There is one fleeting moment in ‘Grace and glory’, Solid
Star’s unnecessarily long second album which a good
number of music heads had hoped will be a thrilling
session. It occurs in ‘Halle’, a vocoder assisted mid tempo
run through of his struggles as an up and comer. Solid
Star’s tentative vocal breeze is perfectly suited to the light
drums applied here as he drawls lazily: ‘Everybody wan
know me now/ record labels wan sign me now.”
Good for him but bad for us as the disc begins to go south
after this okayish intro. Masterkraft shows up for the
instantly forgettable ‘Worry me’, another (sub) standard
variation of every inane pop song released this year. And so
continues the unfortunate decline.
There was a glimmer of hope on the track, ‘Oluchi’, the
JSleek produced duet with highlife prince, Flavour. Both
acts found common ground and soldiered the song to it’s
throbbing, hard-to-dislike babble chanting ending but this
song probably would not stand out on a better album.
Other mild highs are the established hits, ‘Omotena’ and
dance floor favourite ‘Skibo’.
He tries to pack the album with danceable pop numbers
but this approach fails miserably as song after song builds
to a disappointing record. Which is why it is not surprising
to see the Eva assisted dance hall slowburner ‘I’m sorry’
creep in unannounced with a steamy verse from the
femcee. It would be totally unremarkable though absent
Eva’s sexy presence. Ditto ‘Perfect girl’ without the Jesse
Jagz and Vector assistance.
There are no greater aspirations to ‘Grace and glory’- apart
from boring the listening public with another dead on
arrival album. Making a reductive, repetitive album and
applying a style that has been done to death by the current
litter of pop stars hardly stands anyone apart. Anyone with
access to in demand producers, guest appearances and a
vague knowledge of today’s music scene will make exactly
the same record Solid Star has presented.
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