After a viral video with her husband Adekunle Gold who jokingly stated that he would love to hear her give an RnBmusical project, fans knew something was coming. The belief that Nigerians have a particular taste in music was recently debunked by Simi with the RnB hit single Duduke with about 20 million views on YouTube. It became understood that Music is a language of the Soul that can be interpreted by different genres. Therefore the new EP, Restless II with Six tracks of RnB and Afro Fusions explore her pristine vocals and well articulated emotions through carefully crafted songwriting. The passion and the artistry of Simi resonates in every song as she did not allow the demands of motherhood affect the quality of her sound, in fact, if anything it evolved into a more appealing musical version of Simi.
Simisola Kosoko(nee Ogunleye) started her career as a gospel singer before the popular song “Tiff” hit the airwaves in 2014. She has released three albums so far, “Ogaju” in 2008, “Simisola” in 2017 and her latest album being “Omo Charlie Champagne” in 2019. Restless II is a sequel to Simi’s first ever 5 track EP “Restless” in 2014 which was mostly made up of covers of popular artistes like Rihanna and Adele. However, the new feel infused in Restless II has shown a journey of more than a decade in the Nigerian music industry showing her dexterity as a Singer—songwriter.
The first track ‘No longer Beneficial’ would be the anthem for Friends with benefits with no intention to catch feelings. It’s ironic coming from a happily married Simi, Mama ‘Deja. However, this further proves her imaginative ability to creatively put herself in such shoes. The next track ‘There for you’ is soothingly romantic well spiced with Rap vocals by Ms Banks, creating a compelling story from a feminine perspective. ‘City lights’, the third track is a deeper love story of infatuation of a lady who has helplessly fallen for a lover. Something interesting about the third track is how she blends Pidgin with Queens English and even comparing Cupid’s dart with a local Catapult to drive home the point of how she’s hit. The fourth track “Triggered” is a duet with Wurld about an unfaithful partnertrying to play his lover, Wurld’s male vocals offers his side of the story giving an assurance of love. The fifth track “Undeserving” has a sadder language and tone, it is clear case of unrequited love many including myself can clearly relate too. To the finale, the grand performance, the last track on the EP! It is a massive hit from the Music Couple featuring Adekunle Gold. The theme of this song is a relationship going through the peril of lovers’ conflict. This conflict contrasts with the slow tempo and soft vocals on the song, in between we could hear giggles from Simi and at the end of the track Adekunle Gold says “AG Baby is not your Baby” followed by Simi’s playful use of the ‘F’ word. These instances reveal the fun that went into the creative process of the song with the obvious teasing of a newly married couple.
There is no sign that Simi would be stopping anytime soon. The Nigerian music industry is ready to embrace the Duduke crooner making our hearts go ‘Duduke’ leaving her with a ‘permanent place’ in our hearts. The dexterity and attention given to the lyrics and sound in the music productions well engineered are a testament to Simi’s artistry. Little wonder Simi has always been the first for female vocal for Duets in the Nigerian music industry with collaborations involving Mr. Eazi, Johnny Drille, Ladi Poe, Falz, Adekunle Gold and many others. Restless Mama, we won’t take a rest in listening to you.
– AYỌ̀MÍDÉ YEKEEN
This is so nice
Thank you so much