Falz’ funny, witty Stories That Touch

Rapper who make albums that are widely

considered underwhelming – from Mode

nine to Reminisce – are quick to go on the

defensive, eager to excuse themselves from

complicity in the churning out of subpar

material.

“We gave the people what they want|,” they

say with all the condescension worthy of

their talent. “We wanted to go commercial,”

their noisiest trumpeters holler before going

on a mostly pointless and usually long

winded rant about how compromises have

to be made on the long journey to fame. As

if the very idea of popular music and quality

are mutually exclusive.

Stories That Touch… Perhaps, they’ve never

heard of Taylor Swift.

It is against this backdrop that Falz (born

Folarin Falana) drops his sophomore album,

a red-hot light-on-its-feet accomplishment
that floats like a butterfly but stings like a
bee. His debut disc, Whazup Guy released
last year was a painfully underrated,
perhaps premature product that
nevertheless introduced him properly to an
accepting audience, thanks in no part to
breakout songs like Marry Me with Yemi
Alade and Poe.
But it was with comedy that Falz found
mainstream success as he leveraged on his
comic talents and social media clout to
penetrate the music market further. His alter
ego, created in the mould of Funke
Akindele’s Jenifa is that of an unrefined
Yoruba demon, who manages to ride the
crest of whatever pop culture phenomenon
is hot at the moment. Ello Bae was the
perfect mix of music, comedy and social
media light bulb moment. With major
visibility going for him, a follow up album
was a no brainer.
Stories That Touch opens smartly with
Kabiyesi featuring the ululating drama soul
of Oyinkansola. It goes down easy and sets
the stage for finer things to come. Of these,
few are better than Soft Work produced by
Sess (who does the bulk of the album’s
work), a bright bubbly rap single featuring
breezy wordplay and punch lines that come
across so effortlessly yet hit their mark with
precision. Exhibit 1: Even real talent gan still
need promo/If you fake your own death you fit
still no blow. Skibii probably dies a little more
every time this song comes on.
The eargasm continues with the previously
released Karishika where Falz and Phyno put
in effort to outperform the other with lines
that stick. It is an aural delight, this one.
The piano strings that begin Soldier are
deceptively mellow as Simi launches into a
stunning chorus that is far from demure.
She proves a more than formidable match
for Falz’ bullying soldier and gives as good
as she gets. Airing their frustrations with the
other, both make up the one of the strongest
collaborative teams heard on record in a
while.
Clap with Reminisce is a venture into trap
music that plays well. It is in similar territory
with Reminisce’s innuendo heavy Tesojue
and Skilashi and the rapper is all too happy
to dish out lines like Oya spread your legs like
a rumour. Chardonnay Music is almost
perfect, boasting a superior verse about
Lagos from Falz’ regular collaborator, Poe
that should be ingested, digested and
regurgitated again for its sheer
awesomeness.
Falz may be born of privilege (his father is
prominent lawyer, Femi Falana) but the
workingman theme runs deep in his work.
His regular Joe appearance, relatable lyrics
and alter ego all identify with the common
man.
Workaholic , heavily inspired by Fela’s
Afrobeat sharply reminds why it’s important
to remember to catch up on much needed
rest despite gruelling schedules. On Soft
Work , he traces the importance of working
smart as opposed to working hard.
My People is more upscale in ambitions, as
Falz casts himself in the role of the jet
setting lover boy with a paramour in every
part of the country.
He also finds time to recognise the ambition
and industry of the average Nigerian.
Celebrity Girlfriend is a fun, harmless fantasia
of dating above one’s means, using every
popular Nollywood actress as a reference
point.
The downers here are Kawosoke, a party
starter that doesn’t quite get the party
started and a midway skit that isn’t as funny
as Falz fancies. He falls into the trap of
making a wedding song and deceives Bez
into slumming it on a pseudo highlife Love
You Pass .
Falz succeeds in making a sophomore
record that is more accessible than his
debut without exactly dumbing down his
material. Stories That Touch is welcoming,
witty and does not fall into the trap of taking
itself too seriously. It is what popular music
should be – fun and enjoyable with no paid
PR guru lurking in the shadows at every
turn to explain reasons for the selection of
songs that made the final cut.