Solar Plexus - Album Review = 2/5?

We all know the mantra- “It’s Don Jazzy again!”- the popular yelp made famous by D’Banj which was on virtually every Mo’ Hits record from 2004 to 2011. This statement once signified Don Jazzy’s presence on a beat or on a song. Now, after the soap-opera like drama between Don Jazzy and D’Banj, which led to the split between the two parties, It’s Don Jazzy again!” now signifies the second coming of the maestro into the Nigerian music industry.

Don Jazzy has a new record label of his own (Mavin Records) and a new crew (Wande Coal, Dr. Sid, D’Prince and Tiwa Savage), collectively known as The Mavins.

Since D’Banj’s (in)famous interview with NET, many have questioned whether Don Jazzy still has the magic touch and the ability to lead a record label. 24 hours after announcing the creation of his new imprint, J released a free compilation album (Solar Plexus) featuring his new ensemble.

Solar Plexus is supposed to be Don Jazzy’s grand re-entry into the game, but instead, it’s more like a nasty fall on a dusty road.

The LP starts on a good note with I’m A Mavin featuring all the Mavin artistes. The triumphant horns and Wande’s dominance gives the song life. Tiwa Savage has the best solo appearance on Oma Ga (which sounds like it was written by Wande Coal). Her nifty verses and Don Jazzy’s beat makes Oma Ga a hit.

Unfortunately, all other songs on Solar Plexus remain grounded.

Take Banana by D’Prince is so bad that even monkeys won’t like it. CPR by Dr. Sid is a poor attempt at Euro-pop. Throughout the collection, D’ Prince and Dr. Sid are the worst culprits, delivering weak songs with poor concepts, shallow lyrics and cheesy rhymes. The two acts are bland, generic and not innovative on this compilation.

Sadly, Wande Coal doesn’t offer anything spectacular on the set either. After all the hard work he put in Mo’ Hits (CV – 2007, Entertainer - 2008 and Mushin To Mo’ Hits - 2009), his form has dipped considerably. Only on Forever does he show glimpses of the Wande Coal that shut down the game in 2008 and early 2009.

Two things killed Solar Plexus: the mediocre talent on the new label and the lack of a leader. Sadly, Wande isn’t yet fit to carry the label, and it seems the mediocre artistes on Mavin will be around for a while. Tiwa Savage is the only good news, but her solo offering on the LP isn’t enough to salvage the disaster Solar Plexus is.

Solar Plexus was supposed to be Don Jazzy’s grand statement that he still has the magic dust; unfortunately the plot falls apart before the first act. Solar Plexus is Don Jazzy’s weakest produced album of his sparkling career.

Rating- 2/5.