It’s not just his silky voice that pulls you in, Raymu, born Irorosuayire Ogheneruemu, commands such an impressive range of melodies that could instantly trap you in a replay loop.
“Everybody wants to be like you/ Dem no go fit o/ All this love wey no fit reach your shoe/ Na counterfeit oh!” his buttery lithe melodies seep into his recent track, ‘Like You’, flanked with emo-pop piano progressions.
It’s a love song that warps the listener in goosebumps, raining down affection upon his persona with an intensity that’s been scarce across Afrobeats since Ckay’s ‘Love Nwantiti’.
Whatever urged Raymu to throw in that ‘uh-no’ tag at the intro of ‘Like You’ was clearly a mark of genius, evoking that vintage RnB vibe that the OGs were known for.
The song’s piece-meal cadence, with lyrical emphasis in phrases like “Dem no-go-fit-oh!” stretching the song’s delivery and recall. It’s a deep-hearted record, with a linear arrangement that seeks to keep it groovy-yet-soulful.
“Crazy how a simple hello led us to where we are right now/ Maybe you were mine before I spoke/ Heavens gift to me right now,” he sings, with short verses that do more good than harm to the overall enjoyability. Harm, in this case, because at some point it felt over-reliant on the hook and refrain, ignoring opportunities to showcase more singing techniques with longer verses.
Obviously his background as a professional vocalist comes into the fore in ‘Like You’.
The singer, who emerged a runner-up at the last Nigerian Idols singing contest, seems to maintain mastery of his tonal synergy throughout the record.
When he dives in for a falsetto where he sings, “Dem no go fit oh” or when he nails a melisma as he sings “Crazy how a simple hello”, the record sizzles seamlessly into its soulful flow, without distorting the listening experience.
He floats atop the beat, riding it out like a surf board with his slow pauses, emotive tempos and gentle pace.
The finish line in ‘Like You’ comes alive with his dreamlike outro. With deepened soulful chords, he slows down the record with an instrumental wind down.
It’s masked with a suspenseful feel that induces recall value instantly. It reminds one of Lady Donli’s 2019 classic, ‘Never Ending’, connecting like a conjugating river of melodies, emotion and cohesion.
It’s a perfect climax for a record this brief; at 2-mins, it’s an exciting listen that keeps the message close to heart, and the melodies pasted in memory.
It’s a befitting spin for a lover’s time-out, or just a yearning moment. It’s a solid 7/10, with shock and replay value standing out as its strongest points.
Raymu is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and vocal coach whose music combines soul and Afro-pop into a powerful RnB experience. He began his musical journey under the name Amb Lawrence, releasing several singles that garnered local attention.
A 1st runner-up on Nigerian Idol Season 10, Raymu has performed on some of the continent’s most prominent stages, including Warri Again? (Lagos Edition), the African Creators Summit, and a variety of notable events across Nigeria and the Benin Republic.
Beyond the stage, Raymu holds a first-class honors degree in Mechanical Engineering. With over a decade of musical experience, Raymu is also a seasoned vocal coach, celebrated for his deep understanding of vocal technique and expressive artistry.
