Third albums can be quite tricky as artistes usually get torn between growing and marketing themselves to a wider audience.with "tradition",9ice opts for growth over fan base expansion.this album showcases 9ice flowing over beats from seasoned beat makers like Terry G,Dr Frabs,ID cabasa and newcomers like Cheepho & SARS.Collaborations are kept to a minimum as Asa is the only notable artiste featured on this 16 track project although Nneka,Snow,Wise & Seriki lend 9ice a helping hand to make tradition a worthwhile ear-xperience.
9ice gets things started by sending out a positive message on "show your love" featuring Nneka,which has a jamaican tinge/flavour and sets the tone perfectly for the album.the alapomeji train cruises along smoothly with tracks like "respect is reciprocal" and the sex centered tune "bluetooth".the cheepho produced "liquor" is an uptempo track that will definitely get you in the groove,but it is on the ID cabasa produced "gbamu gbamu" where the album hits top gear.with the way 9ice kept the proverbs coming on this track,one will be inclined to think that dropping knowledge is running out of fashion.
The album veers off course slightly with tracks like the Dr frabs produced "bo kini yen" which is quite unnecessary with all the unwarranted sexual undertones and the Terry G produced "charging charger" which is not only low in quality but also meaningless cos all of a sudden 9ice stops been a party rider and decides to become a charging charger(lame).it looks like collaborations bring out the best in 9ice as it is quite evident on the Asa assisted "pete-pete" and the snow & wise assisted "once beaten,twice shy" which restores balance to the album.
One thing that is noticeable on this LP is the lack of creativity and fluidity as most of the songs are neither here nor there.with tradition 9ice fails to take his game to the next level and loses his chance to obliterate the competition.he runs through the final parts of this album as if his fans gave him an ultimatum when he actually has all the time in the world.i can't even say which one is more worrying,the fact that there is no song on this album that has hit written all over it or the fact that ony 3 songs on this album have yoruba titles?it clearly looks like 9ice is gradually losing his identity & street credibility in his quest for a grammy.
They say "as you pose for picture,na so you go show" but me i say "as you flow for studio,na so you go blow".no love song for toni payne,no song for his mother and more ominous is the absence of long time friends & collaborators,Lord of ajasa,2 phat & Jahbless(probably all is not well in the land of coded tunes).this album paints a sad picture of 9ice relying on the false cushion of reputation.this year is definitely not 2009ice.
RATINGS-6/10
PLAY-liquor,gbamu gbamu,show some love,anytime,pete-pete
SKIP-bo kini yen,my people,energy,no be mistake,charging charger
9ICE Tradition I love it
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