Gentle polyphonic harmony opens BBO’s live-recorded Christian worship bop, “Most High.” Recorded at a packed auditorium during his performance at the recent LULI concert in Lagos, the singer, born Bakare Boluwatife, dished the powerful melee with lush indigenous compositions and trance groove.

Across the 5-minute spin, BBO conjures strong worship-ready melancholia with his cathartic delivery. “You are the most high, You are the most high God,” he sings with a piercing cry, as he opens the song. Hollow choir call-and-response follows with a subtle Gan gan (talking drum) percussion layering his powerful Yoruba spoken-word dirge that fills the entire song. And by the song’s mid-point, the entire record brims into a harmonic worship jive, appreciating God with a litany of graceful salutations.

BBO’s composition on ‘Most High’ swells with a strong tension-and-release that peaks with his melodramatic delivery. He often breaks into scat singing, “…Eiii, Ngba to ba ran mi Lorun/Ngba to ba rin mi Lara/Iranlowo Ala Eleyi yan ma je, Olorun, Eiiii/Ngba to ba dun mo mi Olorun mi, Eh ehnnn,” stretching the song’s vibrance and overall enjoyability. The song’s arrangement also dazzles with a cinematic pacing, bursting with vocal unison, and melodic descent, and cliff-hanging crescendo. The melodic descent, for instance, strongly echoed the aftertaste of the suspenseful Gan Gan progression, as the choir’s ‘You are the most high/ You are the most High God’ vocals ensue with underlining violin riffs.

Also, BBO carefully maintains a firm tonal balance across the composition of the song. His cadence cleverly lifts the song’s momentum, especially with his refrain around the song’s mid-point and his multi-syllabic vocalisation that enlivens the delivery. Another Nigerian Christian gospel musician who expertly wields this singing technique is Tope Alabi, especially on her 2023 hit, ‘Adura Mi’. The late Osinachi Nwachukwu’s ‘Ekwueme’ also comes to mind, as another fine use of this technique.

With a core of the song vocalised in Yoruba, BBO soaks the record with an indigenous feel that distinguishes his artistic authenticity. The lyricism pulses with indigenous Christian court praise, code-switching with the gripping ‘You are the most high’ hook. The lyrics thrive with enough simplicity and dramatic flow to allow for easy recall.

Ultimately, the song stands out for its powerful presence of catharsis, transporting listeners to a sanctimonious mind-state. It thrives with a moody, prayerful feel that is captivating at first listen. Save for its underwhelming use of the Gan Gan, lacking filler moments for drum solo improvisations, the song paradoxically connects as an airy, spirited, and sanguine listen, tucked with tonal balance.

Overall, ‘Most High’ stands out as an intricate Afrocentric composition, heavily suited for live performances, with its dynamic blend of instrumentation. It ranks as one of BBO’s most enigmatic releases in recent times, and it soars with strong replay value that distinguishes it as one of the finest new additions to Nigerian Christian worship music.