Nigerian prospect Oxlade landed a huge viral hit in 2022 with Ku Lo Sa, an addictive summer love song. In taking two years to follow it with his debut album, the 27-year-old singer has probably lost a little momentum, but OFA (Oxlade from Africa) is extremely likable, delicate pop. Stars such as Dave and Popcaan feature, but Oxlade’s imploring vocal, trilling softly in spacious settings, is the focus.
It’s interesting that he positions himself so clearly as “from Africa”. Defining yourself by continent rather than country feels oddly retrograde, from the dark days of “world music” meaning anything non-western. That said, this debut album does reach far past Nigeria, its mellifluous delicacies floating free of easy definition. Oxlade’s take on Afrobeats has more of a playful spirit than its equivalents in American or European alt-R&B, animating this album wonderfully.
Maybe it goes a little long, but only soppy sax-wielder Ovami is a complete misfire. Over percussion that murmurs like a marble dropped on a wooden floor during On My Mind (OMM), or either side of Piano’s transcendent bass and organ breakdown, Oxlade sounds every bit the celestial choirboy he was brought up to be.
