The rush of a soothing piano passage opens Niifa’s “Just Have Faith.” For all its allure, the record thrives as a gripping faith-based soundtrack to arguably one of mankind’s most relatable experiences. In the midst of travails and struggles, Niifa creates a song that encourages perseverance and hope for a better situation, a better tomorrow, and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Interestingly, “Just Have Faith” builds over a very dramatic and charismatic composition. It is sober, with strong cinematic tones that harness the hollow echoes of the piano and allow them to fill the record’s open spaces. From its opening moments, it establishes itself as a statement-making ballad with enough musical character to exist beyond the conventions of a faith-based song.

What stands out particularly about Niifa’s approach to the composition is how she pours her heart into it in stages. The music builds over slow chants in the beginning, where she sings, “Just have faith” and “He never fails,” before echoing that conviction through repetition. Her voice gradually rises into a crescendo that stamps the lyrical emphasis without disrupting the tenderness established at the beginning.

The song then moves into a deeper and more intimate experience. The music feels closer. It rings deeper, the piano becomes heightened, and subtle percussion begins to enter the composition, creating the groove that keeps one gripped by the tension making the song as intense as it is. Think of the intimate emotional worlds explored by artists like Billie Eilish, alongside the devotional sweep of Hillsong, and there is a clearer sense of Niifa’s exploits within soul and RnB-leaning faith-based music.

The production also feels very compact and intentional. Already, it is an intimate and spatial sound, almost as though you are listening to the singer inside the booth, right there with her as she records it. There is a closeness to the vocals and instruments that makes the emotions feel immediate. Still, the music packs a fluid drift that carries it from borderline melancholic into a cocktail of energies: hearty, happy, inspired and optimistic. It is a tender mesh of emotions, and catharsis becomes the North Star for the record.

The production continually elevates that feeling. By the midpoint, the drums become more pronounced while a looping piano chord rings in the balance and background, giving the song its soothing R&B and soul texture. Those looping chords also push the record towards a more heartfelt and experimental space. It moves into gentle verses and eventually finds its way back to the hook, where the message of having faith, believing and never giving up continues to echo through Niifa’s sonorous vocals.

Altogether, Just Have Faith maximises Niifa’s vocal depth by creating pockets of moments where her voice bubbles over gentle chords, alongside tender stretches where her octaves soar towards their highest points. She crescendos over blank pauses and tender beat drops. Her falsettos and backing vocals become extra elements showcasing her expertise and mastery as a vocalist. Instrumental and voice remain locked together throughout, making “Just Have Faith” a gripping, powerful and mood-stabilising record that signals more intentional artistry within Africa’s contemporary faith-based music scene.

The song slowly climaxes with faster drum progressions, sustained pedal notes from the piano and Niifa’s high-pitched vocals holding the fort together as she continuously rings out the hook and chorus. She furthers the experience with melismas and scat singing, keeping the emotional energy as intense as it began. By this point, the song has unfurled into something noticeably groovier than its opening suggested. It starts soft, goes harder and eventually settles into a hybrid of both energies, carrying the intimacy of its beginning into the rhythmic release of its latter stretch.

Niifa essentially establishes her prowess as a master of tempo here. Her delivery rings off as charismatic, cathartic and profound. Her songwriting echoes relatability and feels convincing enough to resemble a peek into the singer’s own diary. The faith at the centre of the record consequently feels lived-in. Its encouragement carries the intimacy of someone speaking from a place they understand.

Eventually, “Just Have Faith” fades out with a similar rush of piano chords, bringing the record back towards the instrument that first ushered us into its world. Each element gradually bows out until the song disappears into a blank pause. It feels almost like a fade to pitch black after the emotional movement that precedes it.

It is an interesting song, particularly for the new frontiers it explores within contemporary faith-based music through niche scenes such as R&B and soul. It also signals the rise of bohemian songbirds like Niifa and the potential their experimentation could hold for the industry at large. With Just Have Faith, Niifa makes conviction feel intimate, cinematic and groovy enough to live beyond the moment of worship itself. It sits at 8/10.