Immersing listeners into an auditory experience is one of the hallmarks of a great musical artist. This manifests as an ability of the artist to transport their feelings into the hearts and minds of the listener through deliberate sound selection. Learning that Nigerian artist and producer Jabani produced the entirety of his latest project Closed Doors offers an avenue into his profile as a musician. A competent songwriter, Jabani can unearth entire ideas all on his own, flexing a blend of vivid penmanship and production prowess. On Closed Doors he wields both in abundance, setting sensual moods that depict the warmth of intimacy through the lo-fi serenades in this 4-track EP.
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Closed Doors is indicative of Jabani’s artistic leanings. Afrobeats’ softcore shade has illuminated intimate gatherings the way it’s pop counterpart lights up big stages, and going by the project’s thinly veiled innuendo, Jabani uses a collection of smooth, nostalgic sounds to precisely convey the concept of warmth and intimacy. He sets and executes the direction of the project, producing and writing each song. The consistency of texture throughout the 8 minutes Closed Doors lasts for presents it as a cohesive project with a steady theme.

The project’s warm temperature is mostly driven by the varied use of strings that Jabani infuses into his production. He is playful on “443”, using quirky lyrics to create a fun atmosphere that makes the record perfect for a singalong. Jabani uses kicks as a foil to the warm textures of the strings which creates a subtle bounce. It’s a fitting intro to Closed Doors, setting the tone for the rest of the project with its smooth, sensual sound.

Jabani uses a premature fade-out to connect to the next record, “Toxic”, which picks up where “443” left off. He serenades about incompatibility with his love interest, speaking on the complicated feelings that accompany undefined romantic relationships. In some aspects, it exceeds the intensity of the previous song but that is only a testament to the arrangement of the songs on the project. There is a steady progression towards the centrepoint of Closed Doors, but before Jabani gets there, he stirs up familiar feelings within the listener; a mark of the project’s relatability.
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“Mingle” is the sweet core of Closed Doors. It might feel that way due to its position in the tracklist, or because it totally encapsulates everything that the project is about. This record is more string-directed, with the kicks and 808s serving as a means to give the song a more immersive feel. Jabani does not complicate himself with the songwriting, skating over the chord progressions with a repetitive bridge before he’s joined by South African singer Nelisiwe Makaza. Their synergy reflects the direction of the song, while their vocal texture gives an added immersive effect.

On the last song, Jabani closes out with “Dessert” where he takes on a different style from the rest of the project. Although the strings are prevalent, Jabani uses a rap cadence to convey sensual messages to good effect. It closes out the project nicely, and the rap performance brings variety to a smooth EP that bounced between down and midtempos.

Closed Doors comes together as a cohesive representation of Jabani’s talent. He proved capable of executing a concept project by curating variations of a sound that emerges from the same source. New listeners of his music will find records they can resonate with on multiple levels. The quality of this project has set the standard for Jabani’s subsequent releases in the future.
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