“There is a time for everything.
A time to Grieve and a time to Heal.
A time to Laugh and a time to Dance.
A time to Speak and A time for Silence”.
These words broke the internet on the 21st of March, and it was not surprising that this teaser would cause an upheaval.
Everyone missed Davido. Scratch that; the world missed Davido.
Months after the artiste’s tragic loss, 001 is back with his third studio album, Timeless.
Timeless, his first full-length project since 2020, is a 17-track project boasting features like
Fave, Angelique Kidjo, The Cavemen, Asake, and DMW 2.0 latest signees, Morravey and Logos Olori.
Timeless comes at a moment when fans were desperately clamoring for the return of Davido.
Fans certainly expected this album to be one where Davido is most vulnerable.
Still, like previous albums, the artiste goes through a similar route of entertaining listeners with exciting songs that describes Davido’s mindset and displays his impressive artistry.
TRACKLIST
The project opens up with “Over Dem,” a mid-tempo bop that sees Davido comparing himself to David in the bible.
With this track, the artiste is in a braggadocios form, and he doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge the power of God in his life.
From references to the dancing governor to the Messi reference
timeless begins a sturdy foot and prepares listeners for an experience.
If you are a fan of Davido’s previous albums.
you’d recognise that this opener follows the pattern of other openers on his previous projects.
From “All of You,” off Omo Baba Olowo, to “Intro,” on A Good Time, to “Fem” on A Better Time, Davido continues to show his superiority.
“In the Garden” introduces us to DMW’s latest signee, Morravey.
Here, the new artiste makes her debut, and her vocal dexterity and delivery are impressive.
The log drums and guitar riffs make “In the Garden” an enjoyable love song,
and Davido and Morravey glide through the Rore-produced track.
Another noticeable feature on this track is the hook, “I’ll change your status, yeah. I’ll change your status, yeah.”
Undoubtedly, Davido’s impact on the music industry is undeniable.
His continuous collaboration with several artistes has propelled songs to greatness.
Thus, it is quite understandable when he names the next song, “Godfather.”
Here, he blows his horns, acknowledges God, and calls out his haters.
He sings, “Emi n’ikan I be godfather oh (I be godfather oh).” However, his transition from singing about his Godfather status to singing about a lover could be more cohesive.
Magicsticks and Rage helm the production on “Unavailable,” and their collaboration on this track is magical.
The Amapiano elements, easy lyrics, crowd vocals, Davido’s delivery, and Musa Keys verse make “Unavailable” the bop it is.
With an ongoing Unavailable TikTok challenge, it is evident that Davido has a hit on his hands.
the recently released music video further solidifies this claim.
with the video gaining over 2 million streams in less than 3 days.
Then comes the Dexter Daps-assisted “Bop,” which sees both artistes sing about their love interests.
Here, Davido leans into the Dancehall pockets.
Overall, “Bop” is a bubbly tune where both artistes bounce off each other’s energy.
On the next track, tagged “E Pain Me,” Davido sings about his broken heart.
While the title of the song might seem like the artiste is about to let his guard down on his emotions,
instead, he sings about his unrequited love. Unlike the song’s thumping beginning, the fade-out was poor.
Listeners are introduced to “Away” with expressive pianos and Amapiano shakers.
Here, Davido flows seamlessly on Magicsticks’ production while he prays for the good things in life.
With “Precision,” Davido sings about preserving energy and focusing on important things.
The Konto influences in the song give it extra spice
“Kante” comes in with swaying Afro-drums, saxophones, and Fave’s enthralling vocals.
Fave leaves an unforgettable mark on this track and effortlessly flexes her artistry.
The feature choice was a well-thought decision because of how both artistes move over each other’s vocals.
No one overtakes the other.
This could be the collaboration of the year.
Together, Fave and Davido display sonic chemistry.
The chorus also contributes to the song’s uniqueness because of its football reference and the way it gels with the song’s production,
“And I can tell you’re feeling the tension (I can tell you’re feeling thе tension)/Like Kante, your skill is precious. You can change the whole direction.”
fave on “kante”
FAVE on “KANTE”
Have you ever wondered how Davido would sound on a Highlife song?
“Na Money” is your chance to see the artiste in his highlife phase.
With contributions from The Cavemen and Grammy-award-winning artiste Angelique Kidjo
“Na Money” offers something refreshing to the overall body of work.
Her impact is felt even with Kidjo’s short time on the record.
As always, The Cavemen deliver in their signature falsetto set.
The Skepta-assisted “U (JUJU)” comes next. On this track, Davido and Skepta bare their feelings for their lovers.
THE CAVEMEN on “NA MONEY”
For “No Competition,” Davido taps Asake to give a noteworthy performance
and as usual, Asake thrives on the song.
It is evident that both artistes come from a place of love, and we see them express themselves in the song’s lyrics.
The crowd vocals and harmonies on the song did not feel out of place.
Like Morravey, Logos Olori makes his official debut on “Picasso.”
Here, Davido lets his romantic side show, and Logos delivers in a Wizkid-esque flow.
Davido anchors the track with his heartfelt confession while Logos butters everything up.
“For the Road” is another love song where Davido makes requests to his lover.
Davido basks in his lower register in this song and glides over the Blaise Beats-produced track. He sings, “But before you go, give me one for the road.”
On the penultimate song, “LCND,” an acronym for Legends Can Never Die
Davido sings about his losses. Here, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and listeners take a peek at Davido’s pain.
However, amid all the pain, the artiste reiterates that he can be compared to anyone.
At the song’s end, the voice of children playing comes in, which speaks to his most recent loss.
In “LCND,” Davido lets his emotions run freely, and while the previous songs have bordered on themes around love, loss, pain, hardship, and growth, “LCND” wraps everything up beautifully.
If you listen to Timeless properly, you might agree that “LCND” is the perfect album closer.
Still, Davido had other plans, which was including “Champion Sound”, an Amapiano-laced track featuring South African artiste, Focalistic.
“Champion Song” is still a bop two years after its release.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Davido is back, and he is here to stay.
In Timeless, Davido showcases growth and precision.
Most people expect the artiste to delve more into the events that led to his hiatus.
Still, Davido decides to explore other areas of life and delivers a 17-track project that completes a trilogy of albums and asserts him as the musical genius that he is.
For the most part, the album carries a heavy Amapiano theme; however, it doesn’t overshadow Davido’s Pop artiste status.
One thing that makes Timeless stand out is the intentionality of the features. All the featured artistes gave incredible deliveries, and everyone understood their assignment.
Over the years, Davido’s voice has been criticized
but with Timeless, we see him go toe to toe with Fave on “Kante,” and flow effortlessly on songs like “For the Road,” “In the Garden,” and many others.
The album’s productions are well-assembled, and the song arrangement is in the right place.
Even though moments of emotional vulnerability are rare, the parts where it is shown may leave everyone in their feelings
Overall, Timeless is a testament to Davido’s growth and stamps his abilities as a hitmaker.
The album presents Davido as a music expert who excels whenever he gets to work.
