A Google search of Feranmi James states that he is a Worshiper, Music Director, songwriter, etc. Too many words define the Nigerian raised artiste however he is mostly known as a singer and revered stage performer with arrays of live performances in his archive.
The song, “Nothing Without You,“ sounds more like his most prominent song , so far. The Jazz inflections song is a dash between a myriad of genres with the singer exploring a western genre for a African based audience.
A rhythmic drum roll welcomes the listeners, it a superb mix of snares, kicks and guitar locking together, this get slowed down by the forty seconds mark, which allows the singer vocals to come up with lyrics like “you are the air that I breathe, the life that I live, I am nothing without you,” he sings as he opens the ministration session.
The song is wholly structured as a worship tune with a plethora of repetition, perhaps for emphasis’s sake. What the backup singer does is magical as they give more life to the song with the ear pleasing vocals. Perhaps, to add more flavour to the song, the repetition is subtly done with Feranmi James’s vocal being the most prominent on the song.
The instrumentation of “Nothing Without You,“ is a merging point of varied instruments, while Feranmi James might have explored a western genre, the African based instrument coupled with sultry vocals takes the song to a new level, appeals to a different discography.
“Nothing Without You,” would likely appeal more to the new generation audience, this sound merging is something that would excite them while the vocals still appeal to the older audience. Call it a smart move, or a wise business decision, the most important take from a song like this is that Feranmi James explores this song to appeal to multiple audiences.
Traversing a range of genres like gospel and Jazz to create a song is not an experiment a novice undertakes, only a visionary and risk taker like Feranmi James would dare undertake a task like this. It is a neat and well delivered tune, bound to be repeated multiple times.
