Ceeza Milli's 'Diamond In The Rough' shows promise without sparks [Album Review]

While the nine-track project is impressive in patches with its furtive efforts to make an impression, it struggles to break even and leave a lasting impression as a pop project and it's not for a lack of talent.

Ceeza Milli is one of the finest songwriters in the Nigerian pop space. Famously, 'Soco' was his song before it became a Starboy smash hit. After several promises and failures to deliver, he finally releases his aptly-titled debut album, 'Diamond In The Rough.'

Led by the alluring synths of party-based vanity in, 'Shayo' featuring the legendary Wizkid, the album showcases all the good things that Ceeza Milli is known for; great pen game, impressive mastery of pop beats and great delivery.

While the nine-track project is impressive in patches with its furtive efforts to make an impression, it struggles to break even and leave a lasting impression as a pop project and it's not for a lack of talent. There is a sonic diversity and a wide array of producers on this project, but Ceeza Milli's constantly familiar style makes it ever-so-slightly monotonous.

Some listeners might attribute that to cohesion, but in many ways it will hold this project back. For the most part, this 25-minute experience felt like a beautifully poised plate of pounded yam and a plate of alluring egusi with no pepper for an Ekiti man.

Except for 'Shayo,' 'Gobe' and 'Ogini,' there's also a worrying lack of groundbreaking hooks on this album. In Afro-pop, quality hooks define the resonance and shock value of a song. For the most part, Diamond In The Rough felt like long verses with no zenith in form of well-crafted hooks.

That said, Diamond In The Rough is by no means poor. It's a decent effort for a super-talented artist who is still growing. If one is not too cynical, he can see the talent brimming from Ceeza Milli's artistry - the music just lacks the defining factor that turns 'promising' into 'exceptional.'

A song like 'Jonze' shows range and density of talent with rapped parts and adlibs. 'Stranger' shows a willingness to take stylistic risks. 'Nuff Gyal' shows a wonderful ear for beats. 'Gobe' is just a beautiful song with balance - something most of the songs on this project lack.

Gobe (Outro)

Nonetheless, 'Imade' might be a advantage on digital streaming platforms, but it's a totally forgettable song. What Ceeza Milli and Tiwa Savage were doing on the song begs some questions.

In the end, it will be harsh to dismiss Ceeza Milli - or any artist for that matter - over the glaring weaknesses of a debut that equally shows promise. Some artists crack it from the get go while others need time to find their feet, botox the wrinkles and sort the weaknesses.

As talented as Ceeza Milli is, he seems to belong to the latter. Something also tells this writer that he's still yet to find himself. For the most part, Diamond In The Rough sounds like a lot of artists. Which begs the question, 'Who Is Ceeza Milli?'

Time will tell. That album cover is amazing though.

Ratings: /10

• 0-1.9: Flop

• 2.0-3.9: Near fall

• 4.0-5.9: Average

• 6.0-7.9: Victory

• 8.0-10: Champion

Pulse Rating: /10

5.2 - Average