Album Review: On “The Whole Truth”, Sizz The Truth Showcases His Musical Style.
On his debut album, Sizz The Truth bears himself out to the listener: his insecurities, his ambitions and his guilty pleasures. These themes are well portrayed on ‘Longest Round’, the first single off the album, released last year.
On ‘Longest Round’, Sizz hops from club to club; drinking double cupped liquor whiles attempting to hitch a one night stand. The ambience of the song is syrupy, his words drawling like a semi- intoxicated person. These subjects and much more are profound on ‘The Whole Truth’.
The album is a cross between experimentation with sounds and an exhibition of his singing prowess set against a soundscape that is heavy on old school highlife samples/interpolations and mellow, emo-drenching trap beats accessorized by synths.
The 10 track album’s opener, ‘Inspired’ is a self-motivating reminder to self; where Sizz, aware of his ambitions has resolved not to be derailed by anyone. ‘Never Told’ continues with this sentiment except it eschews the moody setting for a more vibrant, groovy sound. ‘Never Told’ drapes the sampled classic Alhaji K Frimpong ‘Kyenkyen Bi’ beat over 808 trap beat. Sizz sing-raps on this track, referencing some legendary lines from Tic Tac’s ‘Mbaa Formula’.
Unrequited love and heartbreaks have defined Sizz’s life as evidenced by ‘Rora’, where he directly tells a girl he has had enough of relationships: ‘I’ve been in and out of two flings and don’t think that I’m ready for this new thing’. He chooses to ignore her texts and indulge in drinking away his pain. The acoustic aura of ‘Rora’ cast a sombre mood; leaving the listener to feel sorry for the girl. On ‘Akosombo’ he’s heard confessing his love to a girl (on a telephone), his parent’s reservations notwithstanding: ‘Not the nigga to care about the frogs that got to kiss ya, You found your prince now and your happy ever after’ he croons. ‘Rora’ and ‘Akosombo’ are cut from the same slab- mellow, confessional and melodic, yet the narratives are different (love and hurt).
Sizz returns to the theme of hard work on both ‘Fatality (featuring Ko-Jo Cue) and the relatable, dream chasing Till We Finish (with Cina Soul). Till We Finish has Sizz assuring his mum he’d make it despite her fears (‘I’m a man I know what you prefer/ But momma I’m just tryna be free’)
Listening to the album, one notes how pleasant Sizz’s singing is. Not blessed with a voice that could make the world stop and stare, he plays within his range. His crooning is soothing and unforced, floating like a ship beyond the rough ends of the sea as heard on ‘Show Up’, ‘Everywhere’ and ‘Rora’. If an artist is to paint the mood on ‘The Whole Truth’, the canvas would be soaked in pink with few dots of white.
Not all is perfect with the album. On songs like ‘Show Up’, where the harmony of the sampled song was excessive. (Harmonies are great if done well; that’s if it’s used where necessary). The same goes for ‘Never Told’, where those fan chants could have been avoided. A lot was happening on the song- singing, rapping, the many beats and the chants.
The Whole Truth is a decent debut album and a good advert for a young rapper ready to make a mark on the music scene. This album showcases the musical styles of Sizz; an artist with potential.
Standout Songs
Never Told
Rora
Akosombo
Till We Finish
Evil (The Interlude)
