Boom Review: Yo Maps Lays Himself Bare on Komando

It’s finally here. The debut album by the rising Zambian vocalist Yo Maps is looking to send the artiste on his way into the stratosphere!

Click below the link to get all the information of the artiste and album!

https://www.boomplay.com/activity/YoMaps/share/33632739?bp_wvt=1&bp_noc=1&visitSource=Buzz

The singer and music producer has been making waves across his region for a minute, but his intention with this new project is to break through borders, and allow music lovers from across the continent and beyond, a peek into his world.

The thirteen-track album dubbed “Komando” features a host of guest appearances, including compatriots Bobby East, Slap D and JayRox.

Here’s a breakdown of the album, song by song:

Happiness ft Bobby East

A bright, danceable track – and a great way to kick off the album. Happiness oozes out of every pore with this one, and draws you in with relatable lyrics and a confident delivery from fellow Zambian artiste Bobby East

Kalambe ft Mamba Yachi

Yo Maps is an artiste who can clearly gel on a variety of flavours, and with Kalambe, he switches up the tempo a little in a jam featuring Mamba Yachi. Whether you understand the language or not, it's yet another song on his album that ably demonstrates his vocal ability.

Komando ft Slap Dee

The title track and first release from the new album is also titled Komando, and from the onset a crowd pleaser and one of the best showcases of Yo Maps from the project. A bouncing beat coupled with an infectious chorus will see this played everywhere over the weeks and months to come.

Sometimes ft JayRox

Highlighting yet another Zambian artiste on his album, one of the top collaborations comes from his work with JayRox on the banger “Sometimes”. The back and forth between the two indicates a great relationship and sharing of energy. A definite contender for a dance challenge in the future!

Nikonde ft Temi

A switch up in sounds at the midpoint of the album is a welcome change, and serves to showcase a different side to Yo Maps. It’s a little more stripped down and features Temi whose melodic vocals add some extra spice to the mix. Another top pick from the album.

Nshibishe ft Exile

A highly song on the album, that mirrors his collaboration with JayRox. Yet another contender for one of the strongest crossover hits on the album

Wakumbali ft Namadingo and Roberto

A stellar collaboration that gives church vibes through its punchy instrumentalism, and almost feels like a throwback to the early 2000s. There is a wonderful chemistry between the featured artists as the album heads into its final legs.

Sembe ft Tiye P

A song for the lovers, that transcends any kind of language barrier. Sembe has a familiarity about it – perhaps through lyrics, helping to increase its appeal

Kamusango

After a multitude of well-chosen collaborations, it feels like a homecoming to have a featureless song, and Yo Maps shows once again that he’s born for this.

Boss ft Chef 187

No can deny that this is a banger, as the beat for Boss goes hard. Yo Maps wants us to know that he’s got it – and the final track is noticeably different in feel from the rest of the album. You definitely want to know what comes next for the artiste after this.

Why

Another opportunity for Yo Maps to show out with his vocals. A hypnotic beat allows him to float through his lyrics and you can imagine this one hitting in the clubs

Natural

When you can almost visualise a music video after hearing a song, that's always going to be a good thing. A blend of lush vocals coupled with a singalong chorus as Yo Maps speaks about a natural beautiful woman.

Marry You ft Shenky

It wouldn't be an African album without a song to turn out a wedding. He teams up with fellow recording artiste Shenky on the finale record, that serves as the perfect bow to end the project. Smooth as is his norm, Yo Maps proves he can turn out the clubs as well as the aisles.

With the energy, passion and flavour Yo Maps injects into his album from his homeland of Zambia, it nonetheless feels like an album very much "of the moment" as he seeks audience with a wider market. We look forward to seeing what else he has in store.

Komando is out now, exclusively on Boomplay.

KOMANDO

#Komando #YoMaps