Omawumi: Wonder woman?

The intro for Omawumi’s debut album ‘Wonder woman’ was supposed to show off Omawumi’s humorous side but it did not really work; as the humour is not immediately obvious.

‘Ma fi mi shere’ feat Eldee is the first song. The vibrancy of Omawumi’s voice is comes through in this track. But, both beats and lyrics are a little too high tempoed. The song flitters by before it can be assimilated (yes, even after several replays). Eldee delivers his lines too fast, as if chasing the quick beat and his short verse is not enough to convey his usual dexterity.

Whatever misgivings the previous track might have caused were cured by ‘today na today’. This is definitely Omawumi at her very best. The beat is again high tempo, with a techno feel, but unlike in the previous track it works here, the lyrics really get to you. Heads are definitely going to bob to this one.

‘Love nwantinti’ may not appeal to teenagers, but the older generation will have a blast rocking to the highlife flavour. Omawumi’s vocals in this track sounds one somewhat like that of Nigeria’s old school Diva, the Late Nelly Uchendu, yes, she has that kind of voice.

‘Love it’ featuring Shank does not quit cut it, the tempo, fast and unfocused, drowns out Omawumi’s voice most times. Shank, known more for his hit dancehall single ‘julie’, did not bring the captivating flow he is popular for into this track. In all Omawumi’s strong voice is the only redeeming feature of this track, once again she showed she can sing very well, even in an average song.



One of the best songs in this album is ‘when breeze brow’, a sultry love song about heartbreak and cheating spouses that incorporates a clever use of a popular Nigerian adage “when the breeze blows the anus of a fowl will be exposed”. Omawumi really expressed herself here. This song might not get the hype of some of the other tracks in this album, but it will surely outlast many others, a candidate for any soul lover’s collection of timeless love songs.

‘The way that I feel’: Though with a catchy and rhythmic tone that can get one dancing, this song still suffers from the ills that have marred some of the songs in this album, the overshadowing of her powerful voice by instruments that are supposed to accompany her singing.

‘chocolata’ feat Naeto C is another good song, the cadence is infectious and Omawumi is clearly in the driving seat directing things with her vocal controls, Naeto C did not disappoint, enough for none rap heads to feel his flow. This is one of the songs that shine through.

The skit ‘stand’ should have being the intro; it has everything that is Omawumi.
‘In the music’ is another very good song. With South African pop style sound, the song incorporates Nigerian pidgin lyrics to provide a very danceable tune that also spreads a very powerful message, music is all there is.

Omawumi went the reggae route with ‘brighter day’ and actually pulled off a commendable performance.

‘I miss my baby’ took Omawumi back to her comfort zone, those songs that give her control, devoid of the interference of loud beats. Expectedly, she made it rock, enough for one to want to go back again and again, just for the love of it.

‘As I dey’ is another good one. It is a love song, sort of, that implores the need for people to be accepted the way they are.

Like most Nigerian artists are inclined to, she went back home with the song ‘Niger delta’, another good one. Here she preaches the peace message, calling the people of Niger Delta to work together towards the uplift of the troubled region.

‘Same guy’ features waje and Kel , and showed the vocal dexterities of Omawumi and Waje singers and then Kel spiced things up with her cool rap style.

‘Blessing flow’ is the last track before the outro and she didn’t save the best for the last. Good enough beat, good flow. Not a powerful song but all together ok, for a gospel song.

Then came the outro and it was a wrap.


For a first offering, Omawumi did a very good job. Though, she should stick to songs that allow her express her vocal prowess. Songs must not get played in the clubs to be relevant.

Omawumi sings more about relationships than anything else though one will notice that she dwells more on loneliness and problem prone relationships.
Many of her songs are laced with underlying humour and she seems to be having a good time singing them.

For a new artist, she appear well rounded, experimenting with several genre in one album, but her mainstay appear to be R and B soul. She will go far, but needs the input of good song writers.

Her next offering should make for an interesting wait.

D’lameone 2010-02-21