Jaleel's era
Jaleel's era

Jaleel's era

Exhibiting his vocal prowess, Jaleel's new album shows why he is the holder of the NAMA Best Newcomer award.
Staff Reporter
Jaleel's debut album 'Ever Since Sins Eve' is an embodiment of sheer talent, musical diversity and is filled with great moments. The young music aficionado has a unique take on music and has made a name for himself for morphing a number of genres to come up with a beautiful sound.

The album is very personal and the artist collaborated with a lot of other artists including Oteya and LMPC on his 15 track album. My favourite song on the album is titled is titled 'Up Town Down Town' and it features LMPC and Oteya. The song is a blend of RnB and Afro Pop with a very catchy and trendy hook laid down by LMPC. Jaleel and Oteya are very playful and flirty on the song which is sure to be a fan favourite because of the smooth and soaring vocals by the artists.

On songs such as 'Wella' and 'Block Block' the artist flexes his musical abilities proving that he has the potential and skills to be Namibia's leading RnB artist. Jaleel has shown on these songs that he has the ability to hit the high notes and that he has great control and prodigious projection when it comes to his voice. It is pretty clear through songs like 'Wella' that the artist knows his voice is his most important asset which is a haze of rhythmic and harmonic firmness. Jaleel demonstrates that he is the full package through the use of cohesive beats that allows him to sound honest and vulnerable when he talks about his insecurities and his need for love in songs such as 'Making Moves', 'Only One' and 'Believe'.

Another song that is guaranteed to catapult Jaleel into success is 'Hot'. The song sounds like it's an 80's Nate Dogg sample and has a nostalgic feeling laced with an impressive and impeccable flow from Jaleel who raps about how beautiful a certain lady is. The overall theme of the album is love, it's complexity, how difficult it is and how to make sure you make it work.

Jaleel's versatility and his ability to work on many genres is a blessing and a curse. The album is filled with Afro Pop, RnB and Hip-Hop hits and although the artist can be praised for his distinct sound it can be very taxing and tiring listening to him. He should rather focus on the RnB because he sounds at his best and most comfortable when he hits those high notes and there is a level of connection to his music especially when he is singing. The Namibian artist scooped a NAMA for Best Newcomer this year and is experimenting with his music. He can only grow into a successful artist.

The production on the album is also commendable, the quality and mastering of the songs on the album is outstanding. Jaleel has a good ear for music with a great song choice ability and he sounds very relatable except on songs like 'Rare' where he brags about being inimitable. The album will cater to every music lover because of the resounding character Jaleel is musically.

Shona Ngava

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-24

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