P-square: A Familiar Invasion

How do you improve on a working formula? According to Peter and Paul, you don’t!

The twin brothers are back for the fourth time in 10 years and if you missed any of the previous installments, relax, nothing has changed. Just slot in the CD and you will be transported back into their history, one replete with average beats, weak lyrics, weak vocals, and a weak imitation of popular songs. The only feature that might stand out as not “weak” is the packaging. Yes, the brothers might not be wildly imaginative but they do know a lot about packaging- more thought was put into the CD cover and costume than the entire album lyrics.

That is not to say some things have not been added. The packaging yet again was improved upon. To show they are also song writers, P-square have decided to add the lyric sheet to the package. But not to worry, your favourite group have not turned into overnight intellectuals; the group who once sang, “I’m standing all alone, on my own” has not changed. The song Asa Mkpokoto has this as lyrics: “You pretending you love me de hurt me, while you de job me? Suddenly you’re using my head.”

See? Yours forever, P-square.

At least they have solved the conundrum about who writes their lyrics. Over to you, Tuface...

There is also some diversity on who they imitated for this album. In the past it was R&B artists like Craig David or Keith Sweat. Now, almost distinctly, Savage Garden is here on the hook on the first song, Beautiful Onyinye - a follow up to the success of Ifunanya and No One Be like You. If the matrimonial use of Ifunanya and No One Be like You were inadvertent, trust Peter and Paul, there would be no ambiguity this time- they let this one go all out. ”Nne meh na the girl I wan marry/the girl I wan carry” later the song implores the in laws to wombolo wombolo eh- whatever that means. The boys just don’t stop.

The album is not only a throwback to where music has been, it is also a face of what is. The present techno beat craze finds a spot too, actually several spots: Jeje and Anything.

There are no musical or lyrical achievements here, if you like a song here it is because you have liked an earlier T-Pain or Plantashun Boiz or Faze or even P-Square song. The real achievement is how they have survived this long on the same formula.

But really, what do they care? They pretty much summarized their ‘mission statement’ on the title track from their last album: “Them say, who say? Na dem go tire eh. We still dey hammer eh...”

©2011 Oris Aigbokhaevbolo