Category: EP – 6 tracks, runtime – 15 min
Genre: Dancehall, Afro-fusion
Release Date: 05.July.2024
Rating: ★ ★★★★★★☆☆☆ – 7/10
Heavy on the charm. That’s what Jokwiz Klean is in general, but more so on “Obunuzi”. From the infectious smile on the cover art—which under common circumstances would have nothing to do with a neutral take on his sound—to the self consciously goofy intonation in his voice, he’s out to endear himself to you. And it works for a good bit, seeming to slightly make up for the EP’s weak moments.
The start is not one of those moments, thankfully. He boots the whole affair with a riotous feature from Jamaican stalwart Beenie Man on the opening track “Boom Boom”. In theory, one would bet the pair’s vocals are too alike at certain points to complement each other, yet the blend is a delight, which attests to their sonic acumen. Jokwiz makes no pretensions of depth, dealing out hedonistic lyrics in a saucy flow about the female form & sensuous motions, propelled by grand blaring synths for a background.
The follow-up “Party We Party” ft Starcent Dj & Red is tamer, in comparison. With a feigned cough for a mini-intro, a gag he commits to on other tracks too, Jokwiz descends into some epic mumblings which he clearly never meant to be comprehensible. The same laidback freedom comes to fruition in his commendably seamless fusion of Runyankore, Luganda, English & Patois. Genrewise, the track is more in the Afrobeat realm than Dancehall, & it has him switching between deep oomphy singing to flatout crooning, making for a gratifying alternation. The highlight is the chorus hinged on the title & cheekily questionable suggestions.
After that comes the hinted weak moments, the first in form of “Yamawe”, featuring Pallaso who kicks it off. Predominantly a Ganda affair, the song isn’t horrible per se, but stylistically jarring enough to create a thematic chasm from the main man’s other pieces. Pallaso seems to be thriving as though on home turf, but Jokwiz is inevitably not in his element.
“Okoze Otya”, the fourth track, fortunately corrects the course, summoning many of the elements of the first two pieces. Only to be lowkey undone by “Trumpet” ft DJ Geeman, which abounds in some rather corny elements like repetitive self-references & melodic monotony.
When the final & title track “Obunuzi”—on which Kokwiz is supported by Axon—comes around, it’s a welcome effort to steady the project which risks being unevened by its flaws. And steady it, it does. A chill number, it’s buoyed by the most emotive singing on all the tracks, & echoey harmonies, making for a triumphant crowing of the EP. Overall, Jokwiz Klean is a package. He’s not just his sound, and the atmosphere he’s built around himself comes to his aid. You get the sense he can scale higher levels with more intentionality. In the meantime, his journey on here is quite a serving on its own!
