PULSE REVIEWS VJ ADAMS PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

  VJ Adams Pursuit of Happiness EP front cover

This is VJ Adams as you have never seen him. The TV personality, show host, MC, compere, and talent manager is taking control of his narrative, and owning his music.

Adams has been in the coming for a long time, with singles released to herald the extension of his art. A man formerly known as the face of SoundCity, a role that from the outside, looks comfortable enough for anyone to let go of the reins and switch on cruise control. But not Adams. He is redefining himself by pushing the borders of his art, and finding new life in music.

A deeply introspective work, “Pursuit of Happiness” aims to make listeners connect with the peace of mind, and serenity of heart that comes from being happy, contented and balanced as a person.

The album’s intro explains this, with VJ Adams digging into his poetic side to deliver the inspiration and aim of the tape, before Chidinma opens up the sonic offering with ‘Your love’ a meta track which straddles the highlife horse and flogs it to good use. “Honey, I don fall for you, my love dey times two, e don do me baby’, she belts off in her powerful voice, before dovetailing with VJ Adams.

There’s percussion and rattles as producer Tiwezi gives an assist on folk love ballad, ‘Chidinma’. The love theme is strong, and is linked to happiness, as can be found on ‘Lowkey (Sweeter than honey)’ and the May D-assisted ‘Alright’. Here, the essence is in the lyrical display of love and commitment, with passion penetrating to good effect.

The happiness loses its female companionship and VJ Adams looks within to self for inspiration. The dark, rousing, war drums of ‘Survive’ provide a sturdy backdrop for the braggadocios ‘Survive’. ‘I can see the future because I prophesy’, he declares, and breathes through the mic. He becomes less fierce and more mundane on ‘My Dream’, as he chases haters, and talks the tough.

As EPs go, “Pursuit of Happiness” is conceptually consistent, sticking to its promises to define happiness in a personalized delivery of subject matters. A singer-songwriter’s album, rather than a producer’s, the album showers focus on content, with the lyrical depth present on every track. This is VJ Adams’ first shot at creating a musical body of work, and he goes about with an impressive performance. If this work is to serve as a prelude for a commercial-inclined LP, then he has absolved himself of all the projected arguments and comments questioning his artistry.

This is artistry on a choice level, this is performance on a good plane, this is VJ Adams’ first effort, and a worthy one it is.