Ijele the Traveler

Last updated
Ijele the Traveler
Ijele the traveler (album cover art).jpg
Studio album by
Released27 June 2017
Genre
Length63:51
Language
Label 2nite Entertainment
Producer
Flavour chronology
Thankful
(2014)
Ijele the Traveler
(2017)
Flavour of Africa
(2020)
Singles from Ijele the Traveler
  1. "Baby Na Yoka"
    Released: 30 June 2017
  2. "Virtuous Woman"
    Released: 3 July 2017
  3. "Catch You"
    Released: 7 July 2017
  4. "Sake of Love"
    Released: 14 July 2017
  5. "Most High"
    Released: 16 July 2017
  6. "Jaiye"
    Released: 22 July 2017
  7. "Loose Guard"
    Released: 15 September 2017
  8. "Nneketa"
    Released: 29 September 2017
  9. "Chimamanda"
    Released: 4 December 2017
  10. "Ijele"
    Released: 27 December 2017

Ijele the Traveler is the fifth studio album by Nigerian musician Flavour. The album was released on 27 June 2017 by 2nite Entertainment, and features guest appearances from Sarkodie, Zoro, Terry Apala, Phyno, Chidinma, and Semah G. Weifur. The production was handled by Masterkraft, Tekno, Young John, Del B, Jaystuntz, Cobhams Asuquo, Illkeyz, Kezyklef, and Flavour himself. Ijele the Traveler follows his fourth studio album Thankful (2014).

Contents

Composition

Ijele the Traveler incorporates elements of Igbo highlife while drawing on Afropop, reggae, trap, and gospel influences. Igbo masquerade culture, with its Ijele Masquerade, significantly influences the album. The opening track, “Virtuous Woman”, is a guitar ballad in which Flavour describes his ideal partner through both English and Igbo lyrics. The track has been said to be reminiscent of past songs "Ada Ada" and "Golibe". [1] "Baby Na Yoka" combines reggaeton with highlife, while “Sake of Love” features Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie over a mid-tempo Afropop beat built on drums and guitar riffs. [2] The Tekno-produced "Catch You" is a mid-tempo song with piano, guitar, and drum patterns that includes a reference to Fela Kuti's "Lady". The Phyno-produced "Loose Guard" contains playful food metaphors over a flute-led beat by Young John. [3] The title track, "Ijele", with Zoro, incorporates folk elements such as ọjà playing and popular Igbo chants. Other tracks explore different sounds: "Body Calling" uses a trap-influenced EDM production and features Terry Apala, "Ukwu Nwata" retains highlife guitar riffs and Afro drum samples, and "Chimamanda" adapts gospel choruses into a praise song. The closing track, "Most High", features Semah G. Weifur, Flavour's adoptive son, on a soft-rock inspired duet recorded after the two met in Monrovia. [2] [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pulse NigeriaStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
tooXclusive Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Wilfred Okiche found the album as a record where Flavour leaned on highlife roots and recycled ideas, but too often diluted his sound to please everyone. He concluded, "On Ijele the Traveler, Flavour is on a journey all right, but it is one that does not lead anywhere just yet." [1] On the contrary, Jim Donnett of tooXclusive praised Ijele the Traveler for Flavour's consistency, dance-driven highlife sound, and strong collaborations, while noting some weaker tracks and thematic disconnects. He concluded, “Basically, hearing Flavour on this new album as he weighs in elements from the basics that formed his musical purpose, is such a basking joy" and gave it a 3.5/5. [5] Pulse Nigeria's Joey Akan saw Ijele the Traveler as a record where Flavour stuck to his familiar highlife formula, blending folk, romance, and mainstream influences with only slight progression. He concluded, "This latest effort might represent a small progression, but it’s far from an evolution", and rated it a 3.5/5. [2]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for No Bad Songz
OrganizationYearCategoryResultRef.
The Headies 2018 2018 Best R&B/Pop Album Nominated [6]
Album of the Year

Track listing

Ijele the Traveler track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Virtuous Woman" Chinedu Okoli Cobhams Asuquo 4:36
2."Sake of Love" (featuring Sarkodie) Masterkraft 3:57
3."Catch You"Okoli Tekno 3:36
4."Baby Na Yoka"OkoliMasterkraft3:35
5."Jaiye"Okoli Del B 3:30
6."Skit" (featuring Oloye, Rabbai, Waga G, and Zuada)Okoli1:06
7."Simba"OkoliMasterkraft3:53
8."Nnekata"OkoliMasterkraft3:44
9."Chimamanda"OkoliMasterkraft4:23
10."Iheneme" (featuring Chidinma)OkoliIllkeyz3:52
11."Body Calling" (featuring Terry Apala)
Flavour3:57
12."Oringo"Okoli Selebobo 4:27
13."Oppressor"OkoliMasterkraft3:48
14."Ijele" (featuring Zoro)Kezyklef3:46
15."Loose Guard" (featuring Phyno) Young John 3:42
16."Ukwu Nwata"OkoliJaystuntz3:59
17."Most High" (featuring Semah G. Weifur)
  • Okoli
  • Semah G. Weifur
Masterkraft4:24
Total length:63:51

Notes

Release history

Release history and formats for Ijele the Traveler
RegionDateFormatLabel
Various27 June 20172nite Entertainment


References

  1. 1 2 Okiche, Wilfred (31 July 2017). "360Review: Flavour's Ijele The Traveler". 360nobs. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Akan, Joey (3 July 2017). "Pulse Album Review: Flavour keeps things moving with "Ijele The Traveler" album". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. "Essentials: Flavour's 'Ijele – The Traveler' should scare your favorite Afropop artists". The Native . 31 July 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  4. Ugobude, Franklin (19 July 2017). "The Story Of How Flavour Made This Boy's Dream Come True Is The Most Touching Thing Ever". OMG Voice. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. 1 2 Donnett, Jim (31 July 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: Flavour – Ijele (The Traveler)". tooXclusive . Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  6. "Headies 2018: Full list of nominees". The Punch . 13 April 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2025.