By Micheal Kolawole

Delta Boy has known resistance, and on Overcomer, he turns them into a rhythm with his chin up.

Across four songs, the Nigerian-UK artist sketches a concise yet disjointed album about migration, resilience, and success, as well as love and romance.

On the opening track, he name-drops his love interest, “Obiageli”. Singing that she shouldn’t belittle him in Yoruba, he narrates how she has been disturbing him with phone calls, begging for his attention, and promising not to disparage him. In return, Delta Boy vows to love her unconditionally. “I just wanna stand by you / Anything I fit do for you / Breakfast in bed for two,” he sings, reaffirming his promises of unequivocal affection.

The second track, “Heavenly Control”, is a song of appreciation about God’s impact on his life. In the first verse, he thanks God for making his migration to the UK a success. “I’m thankful for the things my God has done o / Cause we hustle from the bottom to the top o / I thank dear Lord ‘cause he carried me along o / level don change,” he sings in the pre-chorus, adding in the chorus that he has become successful in Britain.

However, it seems that the song is not really about his financial breakthrough but how much of his finances can afford him romantic dominance among ladies. In the third verse, Delta Boy focuses on the mundanity of romance, bragging about his wealth and romantic interests with ladies.

In the subsequent track, “London Burger”, Delta Boy deeply emphasises living a luxurious, opulent, and highly indulgent lifestyle. The song is playful, catchy, and knowingly light. It isn’t about food, as its title suggests. Delta Boy tells us about his sexual appeal and well-being, and his ability to satisfy his lover’s sexual desires. Its simple instrumental, brilliant lyrics, and Delta Boy’s charismatic vocal performance make the song delicious and appealing.

On the album’s groovy coda, “Story”, Delta Boy sings about his exceptionalism and how he’s favoured by God. Stripping himself of braggadocio and other worldly affection, Delta Boy looks inward, appreciating God for his provision and protection. As a celebratory tune, he keeps the song simple, thanking God for immensely blessing him. The song is a sharp contrast to “Heavenly Control”, which one would expect to be the album’s actual gospel number.

Taken together, Overcomer is a decent Afrobeats album. Delta Boy has known resistance, and he isn’t shy to let us know what he has been through and how he is relishing his success.

At its best, Overcomer captures the mindset of a young man who has borders, tastes progress, and refuses to keep his victories and testimonies to himself. There is brilliance in that posture. It strengthens the album’s conviction that one’s survival story deserves to be shared, and faith and flesh deserve to occupy the same sonic space.

At its worst, the album’s brilliance doesn’t mask its inconsistency. Suffering from an identity crisis, Overcomer doesn’t know what to be. Is it a faith-driven testimony project or a sensual piece? Is it a success framed as a divine grace or a romantic offering? From the opening song to the closing, the dissonance runs through the album without being resolved. For an album titled Overcomer, the internal conflict between gospel earnestness and Afrobeats worldliness is insufficiently examined.

Regardless, the album is far from hollow and boring. Delta Boy’s understanding of melody and how to follow the instrumentals makes the album engaging.

On Overcomer, Delta Boy may not truly master and balance his contradictions, but it refuses to hide them. Juggling romance and faith, desire and ego, this album shows that Delta Boy is still trying to define his religious convictions from his sensual determination. And sometimes, that is enough to keep the rhythm moving forward until he is bold enough to hold firmly to one belief.

For now, it’s time for the overcomer to do so one more time.

Micheal Kolawole is a music and art critic