A follow-up to her 2020 debut EP Bitter-Sweet, the lush Soul Searching finds Canada-based Nezsa displaying beguiling fluidity. Deliberating over the dynamics of romance via candid storytelling, the Abuja-bred singer-songwriter is emotionally generous across the atmospheric EP.
With her honey-dipped vocals layered over instrumentation primarily provided by Gbeduboss, Lexjnr, Malik Bawa, and Denzl, matters of infatuation, deception, and contrition vivify alternative R&B imbued with the feel of neo-soul and Afro-fusion.
Trailing the rhythmic opener “Pressure,” “Trouble” tucks a vengeful streak under Afropop percussion, while the regretful strings of “Should Have Cared” attest to the breadth of reflection on the EP. “Nervous Juice” best shows nezsa’s vocal range, with hard-hitting drums tempered only by ethereal acoustics and the artist’s husky delivery.
The come-down from a love-fuelled high on “Technicolor Bliss” illustrates nezsa’s masterful rendering of emotion—”| like this shade of red on my painting,” she sings. “I’d like more green to cover my trees.”
