The Ghanaian singer-songwriter’s debut album “Love is the Answer” is a dynamic one, with sharp writings throughout which is elevated by its soothing sound with features that pay homage to his homeland.
2022 was a showrunner for Camidoh, he had one of the biggest Afrobeats records out, amassing over 200 million streams and 100 million TikTok creations with “Sugarcane” Remix, which won Best International Collaboration at the just-ended VGMA. He also performed all over the globe including Afrobeats’s biggest show; Afronation, showing signs of being one of the innovators of modernized Afrobeats. But then again, that has always been Camidoh. His 2018 hit “For your Lover”, which featured Darkovibes turned out to be a timeless tune, living through the changes of the Afro-verse. His come-up has shot him into the big league, and he blends in with a debut album, a fair warning, that he will be here for a long time.
“Love Is The Answer” is everything Camidoh represents, dramatized by 15 songs that calibrates the different timelines of love’s stories, both sweet and sour. The album’s intro takes a personal look at Camidoh’s existence, a few seconds in and you can feel the level of vulnerability here. “PTSD” is an open book about his mental health, on softened piano strings, he trudges through his personal life and stardom, it’s a 7-minute song with an emotional speech, setting a warm tone for the album. He doesn’t waste time on any other issue, straight to Love songs, he recruits Stonebwoy for “Brown Skin Girl”, and they both make an “Afro-Ode” to their lovers. As expected, 1Gad carried, swinging in and out English and Ewe, dishing out sweet words to his lover, whiles Camidoh keeps the ball rolling with a catchy chorus that sums up a well-made Afro-dancehall rhythm. “Beautiful” goes hard as an Afroswing song, on thick bass lines, his voice and light hand percussion allow him to tell his listeners he’s a giggly romantic at heart, with affectionate lyrics.
Camidoh is the latest Ghanaian artiste to make good use of remixes, with a single-pack remix release for the single “Sugarcane”, he follows the same trend for “Available”, which features Eugy, he also puts on his dancing shoes with Kwesi Arthur for “Dance for you”. With a guest feature list that sees only Magixx as a foreign artiste, his joint with Camidoh distils the best of their bedroom anthem with a new dimension and chilly production. With an album that is heavily inspired by the shades of Ghanaian music, “Kaba” and “Falaa” harnesses the initial wave of coastal highlife that has rippled to new generations of music.
The Album’s best moment is the feature with Amaarae, “Addicted” folds together the best of both artists in their elements, from Camidoh’s daydreamy lyrics which remain steeped in memories of his lover to Amaarae’s cosier mode of writing and high pitched vocals, it’s the perfect jam, the best on here.
Ten songs in, and you can tell the album’s direction, a notebook with heartfelt stories, “Gyalist” and “No More”, are a balance of madcap melody, study arrangement, and a stinging regret that love comes with. But he puts all that aside and takes another risk on “Ready”, making himself available for another Love chapter. But all that screams lust, as he’s sitting on the fence with “Decisions’, a song that sees him confused with the next step, Manifest’s verse adds a bit of clarity to the issue but that’s all that it is.
Love is the Answer serves as a cornerstone of Afroswing ambient, staying true to the course but exuding even more vitality and verve, striking the idea of Afro’s joyful ways with love stories that cap off a decent debut.
