| Boo of the Booless | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 14, 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:00 | |||
| Language | ||||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Producer | Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka | |||
| Chike chronology | ||||
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Boo of the Booless is the debut studio album of Nigerian singer Chike. It was released on February 14, 2020. [1] Chike enlisted Ogaga Sakpaide to A&R the album. [2] Boo of the Booless charted at number 14 on the MTV Base Naija Hottest Albums chart. [3]
The album is 14-tracked and has a total listening time of 46 minutes. [4] It includes folk, R&B, afro-pop, alternative pop and highlife tracks. [1] [5] Chike enlisted producers including DeeYasso, Vtekk, Doron Clinton, Adejames Crack, Blaisemix, Bierdman and Nevmix. It features three artistes; Ric Hassani on "Nakupenda", M.I. Abaga on "Forever" and Zoro on "Watching Over Me". [6]
"Beautiful People" was released in 2018. It is described as an alternative song from the depths of Ireland. [7] "Finders Keepers" is a merger of alternative rock riffs with African guitar chords. Chike performed a fast-paced version of this song at his album listening party on February 16, 2020. [7] "Forever" features MI Abaga and is comparable to mid-2000s American R&B both in sound and lyrical delivery. [7] Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria describes "Amen" as "wedding music in power, essence and construction". [7]
Chike released a six-track mixtape named Dance of the Booless Volume 1 as a sequel to Boo of the Booless. It was described as a hybrid of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and experimental Afro-Pop/RnB and contained remixes of songs from Boo of the Booless. [8] He released visuals for "Nakupenda" (featuring Ric Hassani). The video tells a love story using colourful aesthetics and a dramatic storyline. It portrays Chike as a rich client, who competes with a photographer for the love of a female model. It was directed by Ani James and Aje Film Works. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Nigerian Entertainment Today | 8/10 |
| Pulse Nigeria | 9.8/10 |
Boo of the Booless was listed as a top Nigerian album of the year 2020. [2] [9] It was rated 9.8/10 by Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria. [7] Chinonso Ihekire of The Guardian described it as "a brilliant debut that has become an instant classic" adding that it has one superpower: "its ability to make you re-listen over and over, eager to always hear melodies and lyrics that interflow like conjugated rivers of music." [6] Akindare Okunola of Nigerian Entertainment Today considered it the best R&B album since Simi's Omo Charlie Champagne and rated it an 8 out of 10. [4] Boo of the Booless was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Headies Awards. Chike was also nominated for the Best Vocal Performance (Male) for "Forgive". [10]
All tracks are written by Chike.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beautiful People" | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Nakupenda (featuring Ric Hassani)" (Nakupenda is a Swahili word which means I Love You.) | 3:26 |
| 3. | "If You No Love" | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Forever (featuring M.I Abaga)" | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Amen" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Roju" (Roju is portmanteau of Romeo and Juliet) | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Finders Keepers" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Insecure" | 3:00 |
| 9. | "Out Of Love" | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Forgive" | 3:24 |
| 11. | "Faithful" | 3:40 |
| 12. | "Running" | 2:27 |
| 13. | "Soldier" | 3:03 |
| 14. | "Watching Over Me (featuring Zoro)" | 3:13 |
| Total length: | 46:00 | |