The song opens with a charismatic mesh of pianos and drums. Neche’s serene voice pierces through the atmosphere, “You’ve never lost a battle / My champion / You are God, mighty to deliver / My champion,” unlocking the cerebral, charismatic R&B worship record in full halo. The magic in the song, “Champion,” by Neche, born Favour Neche Paul, is in how sombre and complex its composition manifests.

Interestingly, Neche, whose vocal octaves sample what most experienced operatic singers would boast of, dazzles the record in some sort of extended continuity, in the sense that she reprises the bridge and hook continuously throughout the song, which is quite lengthy at seven minutes.

In the very first half of the song, she establishes the music in about three different versions, going over the hook where she sings, “You are a winner / You are my father / You’re a winner / You’re my provider.” Her backing vocals just butter the song with either hums or melismas. She continues singing, sometimes increasing the tempo or pace, and does this at least three different times, distinguishing each section with a tweak in the drum progression.

That type of repetitive experience already makes one feel hypnotised by the melody. She succeeds for the greater part of the song, especially in how she is able to create pauses where she simmers her singing and allows for the melismas from her backing singers.

Props also go to the drum progression. The drummer does a good job of translating the sombre and sacred feel of the music while keeping the groove dynamic. He maintains a very gentle, heavy bass and two-step kicks, while switching up the ante with raspy drum rolls or heavier bass kicks whenever it’s time to transition between each style of Neche’s delivery.

For the rest of the recording, she intentionally creates this atmosphere of live music and live performances. She moves the music from an intimate, close-knit feel, as though you’re witnessing the music happen in a room, to something larger than just a room.

Here, she unlocks her vocal octaves, stretching her notes for as long as several seconds, alongside her backing vocals. She then goes into some antiphonal drift with her backing choir, chanting, “You’re a healer / You’re Lord of the battle / You’re a winner,” emphasising the core theme of the song itself.

Interestingly, as the drums start to go crazy again during another transition, she goes full-on chant mode, singing less and repeatedly declaring, “Holy God / You’re a mighty God / You’re a champion.” She keeps refraining the same messages for about two whole minutes, creating another song within a song.

Then, right at the crescendo of the record, she seals everything by moving into one of the softest, smoothest and gentlest paces that pushes the song to a close, with all other instruments suspended except the piano chords. Now, talk about a cinematic finish.

One thing that I really like about the song is how it evokes catharsis. It’s a song that encourages devotion, adulation and reverence. It moves the listener from a sombre, gentle, somewhat melancholy atmosphere to a really high-octane, energetic feel that has a lot of bounce, heavy percussion and the overall sticky presence of Neche’s grand vocal texture.

The only issue with the song is its length. As much as it’s full of twists and shock-value moments, as a cohesive listening experience, it feels somewhat overwhelming. It would have been better if it were trimmed down by at least a minute. There’s also some scarcity of lyricism in the music itself, which, alongside the extended runtime, could sometimes make the listening experience tiring.

Nonetheless, there’s great storytelling here, especially in the use of really powerful and direct metaphors in her songwriting, an overall energetic and engaging delivery, and a complex, robust instrumentation that colours the entire record into something ambitious enough to become a classic. It sits at 7/10.