Intriguing scat singing, woven in Christian tongues, opens up Esther Odesola’s performance at the Jesus People’s special Sunday Service showcase, held, recently, at the RCCG parish in Manchester, UK. “Halle-Hallejujah/ Before the Lord God, we’ve come to bow,” her soft tenor pierces through the air as she begins her medley rendition. She continues with a rousing voice colla parting, “Praise the Lord, Halle-lujah,” blending with the percussion that underlines the worship performance.
As lead vocalist, Odesola’s sonority shines through her intricate harmonic balance and pacing. As is typical with her erstwhile performances, Odesola brings worship music to life on stage with the traditional blend of scatting and spoken word interludes, “Come on, worship him! Praise Him with your whole heart,” and her interesting tempo drift. She races directly towards catharsis, with her crescending tenors amplifying the chorus line, and melismas that stretch her delivery into a very emotive soundscape.
While it counts more as a transitive highlight, the refrain where she repeats “Praise Him” at least 15 times, edges Odesola’s artistry with that vivid worship intensity that pervades African/Afro diasporic worship music. It is the thread of emotive intensity that weaves all the sonics together into a very soulful, purgative ambient melody that grips the listener with goosebumps. However, it shines brightest where it also unlocks the next song in her medley: “Excess Love”.
“Jesus, you love me too much o/ Too much o, excess love o!” Odesola unites her harmonies with the tender antiphons of her supporting choir. She flips the medley from just a sonic showcase into a narrative-led storytelling performance, especially with her delivery drifting from soulful to charged. It feels like a film score, only this time with more didactic vocals. By the time she gets to “Alagbara, you are the mighty God,” her sonority as a cue and also an equaliser manifests clearly, as she paces the record to match the raspy percussions that skeleton her performance.
Within the performance, the guitars and chord progressions appear more subtly, with the percussions taking the instrumental lead; nonetheless, Odesola’s powerful voice fits like an axle balancing the harmonies within the performance into an airy, uplifting and soothing tonal structure befitting of a worship display. Her musical grandeur also finds footing with her soft pauses, slow-to-fast and vice versa cadence, and chanting, with a tinge of drum solo improvisation; cohesively, it rings as a wholesome showcase that comes off as an enjoyable listen.
She continues the medley with more worship songs like “Strong and powerful is his name”, among others. And the common unifier across every track she performs is the rugged blend of scatting, intentional pauses, and pacing that keeps the entire performance electrifying. Save for some out-of-breath moments, Odesola’s medley performance is a bubbly, spirited and charged live performance showcase that positions the young singer as a songbird to watch out for.
Overall, Esther Odesola’s virtuosity connects with her audience through her sonorous vocals, charismatic stage presence, and dramatic pacing. Her performance snowballs into a soft close, with her hums closing the show just the same way it started it. Her delivery is packed with just enough tension-and-release/catharsis to induce heavy shock and replay value. All technicalities aside, her music feels like a tender listen, a catchy display and a memorable experience altogether; subtle markers of a prodigy on the rise. As a talented vocalist and worship leader, Odesola’s immersive stagecraft is proof of her soulful artistry and engaging musicality, ranking her as one to watch within Africa’s blossoming gospeldom.
Esther Ereolaoluwa Odesola is a passionate singer and dedicated worship leader whose love for music began at the age of 12. Over the years, she has wielded her music as a tool to inspire, encourage, and lead others in Christian spirituality. She is an erstwhile member of the Higher Worship band, where she ministered at worship gatherings, and helped release a few worship albums. She has also shared stages as a backing vocalist for superstar voices like Yinka Okeleye, Olusayo Orodele, and Joshua Banjo, among others.
