Album review: Samie stunt not making pain count

Don't Make Pain Count, a 6-track project by the emerging talented singer and songwriter is “an attempt to delve into the concept of happiness as an illusion and the harsh reality that sorrow brings” according to the artist.

For someone who was born and raised by professional artists, Samie has shown that he has followed in their footsteps by displaying his pedigree in the art of self-expression throughout this project.

This project attempts to fuse elements of Afrobeats and Nigerian pop music carried by catchy beats, emotive melodies, and lyrics that express a myriad of emotions in between ecstasy and sobriety. 

The approach to the production of this project appears to be dynamic due to how it incorporates a range of trials of different styles and approaches to highlight the artiste’s penchant for exploring.

With the INTRO track, he introduces his persona in a style deemed unconventional but quite impressive by using bits of his music to reply to questions from what appears to be a previous interview about his alias “LYRICAL SAMURAI” and why he calls his genre ‘AFRO-SWANKY, in what turns out to be a skit track.

Track 2 - COSTLY is a hip-hop-influenced record that takes a straight dive into what the artiste’s love life looks like; insecure and toxic as he expresses his remorse singing “Oh I’m sorry...I’ve got feelings but they’re costly” revealing his reluctance to be vulnerable and emotionally available to his lover.

Track 3 - PYRAMID in what is a stark contrast to the previous song is a celebratory anthem dedicated to the la vida lifestyle and pleasures of him and his lover. A groovy dancehall-themed record is good enough to nudge you to move your body on the dance floor.

Track 4 - MY PRAISE is a solemn tune with a regular hip-hop bop that takes the artist into a reminiscent and sober mood with cool but hard raps about pain and silent conversations with the divine.

Track 5 - DUNGEON is the second record on the project that sounds like a party banger. This one has some aura of braggadociousness to it as he sings, ordering his girl to “Shake It” and proclaiming how could lock her up in his “Dungeon”.

 Track 6 - FOLLOW ME (OUTRO) follows through as a peaceful way to close the project. Another solemn tune with interpolations from a popular Christian praise chorus. 

The track is a prayer by the artist to his God for anointing with ‘Holy Ghost Fire’.

The listening experience of any project is always the most vital part of making musical projects like this and it is elements like vocal mixing, effective transitioning, and sequencing that ensure that the replay value stays substantial. Sadly, this project lacked those ingredients in almost totality.

The vocal mixing on some of the songs like MY PRAISE - Track 4 was not smooth enough to enable listeners to hear the lyrics of the song

The abrupt cut at the end of the first track is an example of how listeners were denied a pleasurable transition into the next track.

It appears that the intended effect of the track sequencing was to take listeners through some sort of roller coaster ride, as moods kept swinging as the tracks changed. That might have seemed to work from the calculation of the artist, but from the ears of a listener; it did not tell a progressive story. It did not offer much help in helping listeners connect more with what the overall theme of the project is supposed to be about, therefore rendering the project not cohesive enough to paint a vivid image in the minds of listeners.

As stated earlier, the artist’s penchant for exploring different styles is one of the things that stand out from this project. Another positive of the project is the artist’s rapping dexterity. Not one with quotable or loud punchlines but one with conscious conversational wordings.

In summary, DMPC is an encouraging attempt by Samie Stunt to craft beautiful melodies by exploring different styles of music in a bid to solidify his stance among his peers in the music industry. 

More work needs to go into being intentional about songwriting and developing a unique sound if he wants to stay afloat in a highly competitive industry.