Singer Zlatan recently dropped his 12 track sophomore album “Resan”, a Swedish word for “the journey”.

In this body of work, the singer goes down memory lane, reminiscing on his journey so far. In a recent interview with Apple Music, he talked about the album title “Resan”, he stated that it was an intentional act to look back and see how his career accelerated swiftly from a grass-root artist to a globally recognized and celebrated star. The album has features from some of his colleagues in Nigeria and other African countries.

Here’s a track-by-track review of the album:

Track 1; “That Guy”

On the intro track to the album, titled “That Guy”, Zlatan goes solo. Zlatan delivers emotional lyrics, gives thanks to his maker for his growth and success in this career while reassuring the listeners never to give up on their dreams and whatever they’re working on, as their time for success is already near. The song is wrapped on a mushy note as it has its way of warming up the emotions of its listeners.

The track is easily relatable to anyone who has tried to succeed against all odds.

Track 2: “Alubarika” featuring Buju.

While still on the theme of the album, Zlatan features Buju to deliver a reassuring song titled “Alubarika,” which translates to “certainly” or “surely”. The song is sending a message of reassurance to the listeners, promising them that their dreams are valid and surely they will achieve them provided they do not give up. The tempo and beat of the song are laid back and calmly delivered to awesomeness by the duo.

Judging by Buju’s previous features, this might not rank among the best of Buju’s features, but it’s surely not a miss. Alubarika is a track you listen to on your way to close a business deal while daydreaming about what to do with your money, lol.

Track 3; “Level”

Zlatan goes solo on this track with an up-tempo beat, honouring women with praise and adoration, assuring them that they are always worth it and should never let naysayers tell them otherwise.

Honestly, it’s not my top song on the album, but it’s groovy and it can put you in that body-moving-leg-tapping mood.

Track 4; “Shakur” ft. Ms Banks

In a quest to experiment, Zlatan hops on a UK drill beat where he features British rapper Ms Banks to deliver a drill song. Shakur is a Yoruba slang that translates to “You’re free to show yourself and free to feel yourself.” Ms Banks raps in English and Yoruba, while Zlatan sings in English, pidgin English, and Yoruba.

There were mixed feelings about this song when the tracklist was released; it didn’t do much to prove those feelings wrong, and it was “maybe” unnecessary to be on the album.

Track 5; “Pologo” ft. Bella Shurmuda

This song is clearly inspired by the popular Nigerian group “Danfo Drivers”. It features Bella Shmurda, and their collaboration always results in something explosive; they live up to the hype by delivering yet another banger.

If you’re a 90’s baby, this will get you up on your feet to do the “Swoor” dance that was popular in those days. I love how it was mashed up to fit the current pattern of Afrobeats.

Track 6; “Egun”

The track was produced by P.Prime. It is a remake of an old song that was recorded about two years ago. The track tells a story about the complexities of wedlock and marriage in general.

Groovy beat, middling track; nothing too special, but we can’t deny there was so much effort by the producer in blending the beat, adlibs, and vocals.

Track 7: “One Life”

A typical song for the clubs and those who enjoy a good time. Zlatan teams up with producer Willis to deliver this Amapiano themed song, urging people to always enjoy themselves and remember that you have only one shot at life and to make the best use of it.

This is another basic or unnecessary track that might get people to dance but won’t do much in the airwaves because it’s nothing different from the standard beat and vibe vocals.

Track 8; “Money” ft. Davido

Zlatan teams up with friends and colleagues to deliver a party song that will have the clubs banging and people moving. He doesn’t fail to deliver his message in the song where he talks about not wanting to look rich, whereas, in reality, he is broke. Zlatan admits the experience of being underrated when you don’t have money, so he avoids it at all costs.

Davido has been on top of his features game throughout the year, and his verse here didn’t disappoint. It was much needed “CPR” at this point for the album.

Track 9: “Ale Yi”

A favourite track for a lot of people already. Zlatan delivers a hot party song without a single miss. The beat is groovy, pushing anyone listening to it to want to move their body.

Zlatan admits to thinking about his problems, but he quickly reassures himself and the listeners that overthinking would not solve the problem, but levelling up and facing them would improve his situation.

The song is a tinderbox. It is no surprise that it is already buzzing on the internet and could become a Christmas anthem in the making. Niphkeys has been on top of his game in all of his productions this year. If you’re listening to the album for the first time, I’d recommend starting with this.

Track 10: “Fada” ft. Phyno & Flavor

A collabo between Phyno and Flavour always sets the fans on the dance floor—Zlatan teams up with this duo to deliver this. The track passes a message proposing to marry a lady and intending to come to see her parents fulfil the necessary rights. The song has a bit of an Igbo highlife vibe.

I feel they didn’t achieve what they aimed for, but it’s still a vibe, maybe not for me, even after a couple of listens.

Track 11; “Energy” ft. Rayvanny & Sho Madjozi

A playful song in appreciation to God for creating women and making them beautiful and sexy. Zlatan collaborates with Tanzanian Rayvanny and South African Sho Madjozi. There is not much to say about this song; it’s one of those album fillers.

Track 12: “See me so”

In the closing tune for the album, Zlatan professes his love for a lady and promises to be everything good to her regardless of his lifestyle on the internet. This is a  run-of-the-mill song; nothing intriguing, just a heavy beat and lazy vocals.

While it is evident that Zlatan has put so much creativity and effort into making his sophomore album, the project lacks enough good songs to regard it as a flawless work, nor is it a binge-worthy project with zero skips to make it a classic.  It’s a passable album, nothing more.