Wande Coal and Kel-P’s joint EP Best of Both Worlds is the latest release from the Afrobeats veteran and the producer renowned for his exceptional work on Burna Boy’s groundbreaking African Giant album. The project lands exactly where you would expect as Wande Coal uses his falsetto voice and vocal range to cover up the obvious lack of artistic development. The EP predictably falls into the abyss of creative stagnation as he blindly repeats his characteristic style and presents a worn-out repetition of his earlier work.
The EP is an upbeat and groovy affair with the duo crafting digestible, radio-friendly pop records that clearly aim for mass market appeal. The opener Old Soldier sets the pace as Wande Coal embraces braggadocio, stating emphatically that nobody in Afrobeats is on his level. Old soldier no go die, he sings on the chorus, highlighting his remarkable longevity after 18 years of relevance in the Afrobeats landscape, before mockingly laughing at his detractors.
This confidence carries into the title track Best of Both Worlds, where he acknowledges his profound influence on the Afrobeats scene, referencing how the younger generation has tapped into his style and sound. The record effectively builds upon the energy established in the opener.
Ejo is a mid-tempo highlight where Kel-P shows his production prowess with a threatening Afropop instrumental laced with airy synths and an infectious groove. But despite Kel-P’s valiant efforts, Wande Coal’s songwriting is a bruising letdown, exposing his creative laziness. His lyrics are stale, uninspired, and painfully flat, making his melodies – no matter how catchy – feel like a consolation. Even the hook can’t elevate the overall feeling of weak songwriting.
The unimaginative and forgettable misfire of Call Again crashes into the pit of creative stagnation and exemplifies the formulaic repetition of Wande Coal’s jaded formula. It’s a song that can be skipped, even as background noise and it just highlights Wande Coal’s confusing reluctance to push himself creatively. He remains fully reliant on his undeniably captivating vocals while his songwriting feels like a throwback to the Ghanaian Pon Pon era of Afrobeats.
It’s important to note that Wande Coal is incapable of dropping genuinely bad music, but his failure to evolve his style and sound remains his achilles heel. This EP houses five typical Wande Coal records, and that’s all there is to it. One would expect him to switch up his approach after the disappointment that is his third album Legend or No Legend, but not much has changed.
While the project offers some utility, it’s not accelerating Wande Coal’s artistic journey or taking him to new creative territories. It’s like a vehicle with its engine running but unable to shift gears. The EP generates energy without meaningful forward movement. The project demonstrates all the technical proficiency we’ve come to expect—Wande’s extraordinary voice type and Kel-P’s polished production—but this mechanical excellence only highlights the creative stagnation.
Fans expecting artistic growth or innovation from the man who defined Afropop may find themselves disappointed by this EP. Given Wande Coal’s staggering talent and potential, this EP is disappointing and unacceptable at this stage of his career. It’s lazy, uninspired and feeds the persistent narrative that Wande Coal has fallen into a rut and is willing to rest on his prior successes rather than challenging himself to do new things.
This writer expects him to push sonic and thematic boundaries but he continues to maintain the status quo and play it safe.Ultimately, Best of Both Worlds is a bitter confirmation of what many already knew, Wande has plateaued and he is not evolving to keep up with the pace.
