Tabula Rasa (Brymo album)

Background and composition

Brymo started recording Tabula Rasa following the release of his third studio album, Merchants, Dealers & Slaves (2013). Sammy Sage Hasson was originally announced as the only artist that would be feature on the album. Brymo's manager, Lanre Lawal, told The Punch that Brymo was working on an album for 2014. Brymo decided to name the album Tabula Rasa after hearing the judge used it in a speech.

On "Back to Love", the singer freely expressed himself spiritually, emotionally and creatively. On "Fe Mi", a song with a laser sharp guitar and rhythmic claps, Brymo pleads for physical love. "Prick No Get Shoulder", which is a metaphor for enjoying life's pleasures with caution, depicts a condition of being. On "Dear Child", Brymo narrates the fickleness of life as well as the unconditional love between a grandmother and her grandchild. "Ję Lé O Sinmi" (Yoruba: Kindergarten) is a memoir of Brymo's past as an innocent child in the daycare, to that of a mature man. "Alone" is a spoken word poetry about discovering one's self. "Never Look Back" is a compelling charge to owning up and taking responsibility. On "Jungle Fever", a song with an electro/techno riff, Brymo sings about the unrest of the populace; the latter part of the song is a metaphor for being angry at the status quo. "1 Pound" is an Afrobeat song with trademark horns and meandering guitar licks. "Again" is a song about starting love all over again; the song is composed of grand drums and a choir like hum.

Singles and other releases

"Fe Mi" was released as the album's lead single on September 18, 2014. Ayo Onikoyi of Vanguard describes the song as "a soft traditional ballad". On March 6, 2015, Brymo released a documentary for the song "1 Pound", which was directed by St. Immaculate. A teaser of the documentary was released on March 2, 2015. Brymo premiered the documentary on Pulse TV Live, and said that the song is about informing people about local and international currencies. On March 30, 2015, he released the music video for the song "Ję Lé O Sinmi". The video, directed by Godson KC Uma of MaadKreativity Inc, runs for 3 minutes and 59 seconds.

Critical reception

Tabula Rasa received generally positive reviews from music critics and consumers. Tola Sarumi of NotJustOk gave the album a perfect rating of 10/10, stating that "the album has so many high points, in English, Yoruba and Pidgin, the production matches the artist’s delivery, evocative, sensual and performed with real instrumentation". Jim Donnett gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5 and described it as a brilliant compositional effort that was made to evoke one's senses. Ayomide Tayo of Pulse gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5 and commended its quality, production, and sound. A writer for TayoTV commented on the album, stating: "his songs may not focus as much on partying, women, and drinking, but as times change so does music. He is still having fun, whether singing a ballad, doing spoken words, or just letting everyone know how much ass he kicks". The duo at Should You Bump This reviewed the album and stated that Brymo "is hands down the best male artiste in Nigeria. This is a superb album. Brymo has no peers. He is in a league all by himself and it’s a joy to hear. Tabula Rasa album is a must have for music lovers worldwide". A writer for Jaguda gave the album a score of 9 out of 10, describing it as "a genuine gift to all lovers of good music."

Track listing

All tracks written by Olawale Ashimi.