Sturge – Greatness In You (EP Review)

Greatness In You is the new six-track extended play by Sturge, a​ UK-based Afrobeats artist originally from Nigeria. 

The EP opens with ‘GIY (Intro)’, a track anchored by a thick, enveloping bassline. The true centerpiece, however, is a knocking, hypnotic percussive element that demands the listener’s attention.

Over this beat, Sturge delivers a performance defined by laid-back, melodic vocals; his cadence and accent immediately ground his sound in West Africa.

Early in the track, he sings about seeing the blessings in front of him, yet the underlying tension in the story, there’s a lurking presence of an enemy nearby.

Halfway through the track, Sturge recedes entirely to make way for a woman’s voice, which grounds the atmosphere with a sequence of blessings and spiritual counsel. Her presence offers a stark, sacred contrast to the earlier tension, most notably when she declares, ‘This year is your year’. The song ultimately culminates in a final benediction as she speaks the words, ‘In the name of Jesus’. This spoken-word interlude captures a cinematic intimacy reminiscent of a Kendrick Lamar song, ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst’.

‘On You’ follows. The song starts with some guitar-like strings. Like in the opener, you find a thick baseline, but the kick is not too dissimilar from the opener; it is louder here. In terms of vocalisation, the delivery is faster. What remains, though, is Sturge’s melodic qualities. They stay with him whether he sings slowly or fast. 

Lyrically, the song leans towards romance. The lyrical persona asks, ‘Tell me what the reason why you act so funny when we link up?’ 

Then later on, we hear the chorus sung in a lovely way, Sturge singing, ‘It’s all on you’. I love the fact that the song ascribes relationship duties. 

‘Ogogoro’ is up next. The track is propelled by a wooden, dry, and rapid beat, which Sturge matches with a more flowing vocal style. The mood shifts into anger at one point as the lyrical persona expresses a feeling of being unappreciated. Themes of lying are mentioned in passing, linking the song to romance. Throughout the track, there are repeated instances of Sturge’s lyrical persona pleading, ‘Ogogoro take my pain away’.

‘Check on you’ follows. The song opens with a mixture of strings and a bassline, followed by a deceptive kick that alternates between being loud and subtle. Sturge’s vocals take on a more masculine tone here, though he still alternates this with melodic singing. He sings ‘Oh, my brother!’ in an affective way. While the kick is an Afrobeats staple, a brief rhythmic drumming sequence also plays a number of times.

Lyrically, the persona wonders why people have to suffer. He also leans toward God, saying, ‘That’s why every time I pray, Father, dey pray for grace’. It is a socially and religiously affective song.

‘Don’t stop’ is up next. It features what sound like piano strings, with the kicks from the opening tracks reappearing alongside a different type of kick. The vocal delivery is more intimate or meditative. Lyrically, the song leans toward romance, with ‘Romeo and Juliet’ being mentioned. There is a refrain of ‘Don’t stop’, and the singer includes the line, ‘She’s screaming, ‘“Don’t Stop!”’ However, the track eventually switches to another language, which sounds like French.

The EP closes with ‘Summer’, a track featuring a thick, rapid kick accompanied by strings. A xylophone-like sound joins an instrumentation that feels both varied and adventurous. There is a sense that the song is amapiano-inspired, reflecting an energetic shift for the project. While the backing is fast-paced, Sturge matches it with a quick vocal delivery. In a section where the tempo slows slightly, he is heard saying, ‘Me I just want to live my life; no apologies’. The track is also characterized by anthemic singing and regional nuances that might only be fully caught by listeners from Nigeria.

SCORE/Good: ‘Check on you’ was my personal standout until I reached the EP’s closer, ‘Summer’. Had the project consisted of five tracks excluding this finale, I might have rated it as excellent, but ‘Summer’ almost functions as an EP in its own right. Listening to it fundamentally alters your initial impression of the record; it feels as though Sturge truly comes out of his shell in this final track.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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