I'm truly happy to see Nigerian music breaking through in this country. It's kind of neat. Of course, I've always enjoyed listening to Christmas music from far away places. It's something I used to long for as a kid. I'd be reading Billboard magazine, looking at the international charts at Christmas, and wondering why I couldn't listen to those songs.
Anyway, pardon the momentary reverie. Izzy Olaore was born in Nigeria, but was raised in the U.S. Then he moved back to Nigeria for a bit. And, for the moment, he seems to have settled in Nashville. How cool would it be to hear Nigerian Country music? Well, that's not what Izzy does. If anything, he brings in more of a Gospel flavor, though there's also a clear R&B/Hip Hop influence to "Noel".
Izzy has a three song "Holiday Collection"--all three tunes free--up on Soundcloud. There's the regular mix of "Noel" and a third song, "Let's Go", which is more of a Club thing and doesn't strike me as all that holiday oriented. But the acoustic mix of "Noel" is the thing I liked here. Maybe I'm just getting too old (ain't no maybe about it, dude), but the other tracks are just too busy and loud for my head. The acoustic version of "Noel" appeals to me as a much more heartfelt and personal expression of the season. I ain't nobody special, but I'd be interested in hearing more from that guy. The bombastic, loud, Electro Funk Izzy...not so much. Just sayin'.
Anyway, pardon the momentary reverie. Izzy Olaore was born in Nigeria, but was raised in the U.S. Then he moved back to Nigeria for a bit. And, for the moment, he seems to have settled in Nashville. How cool would it be to hear Nigerian Country music? Well, that's not what Izzy does. If anything, he brings in more of a Gospel flavor, though there's also a clear R&B/Hip Hop influence to "Noel".
Izzy has a three song "Holiday Collection"--all three tunes free--up on Soundcloud. There's the regular mix of "Noel" and a third song, "Let's Go", which is more of a Club thing and doesn't strike me as all that holiday oriented. But the acoustic mix of "Noel" is the thing I liked here. Maybe I'm just getting too old (ain't no maybe about it, dude), but the other tracks are just too busy and loud for my head. The acoustic version of "Noel" appeals to me as a much more heartfelt and personal expression of the season. I ain't nobody special, but I'd be interested in hearing more from that guy. The bombastic, loud, Electro Funk Izzy...not so much. Just sayin'.
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