R&B/Soul man, Mannywellz, whose full name is Emmanuel Ajomale, releases his refreshingly new E.P: ‘The Mirage’.
Produced by Mannywellz himself, this Nigerian American-based R&B/Soul artiste, producer, and multi-instrumentalist presents a project which acknowledges the R&B/Soul sound and it’s Afro elements. In a seven-tracked collection of distinctively different sounds, Mannywellz mirrors his music influences, which include his father, who is also a musician, Asa, Bob Marley, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie, Timbaland, Fela Anikulakpo Kuti, and King Sunny Ade.
The talented musician has three features on his self-produced E.P. While ‘A million’ featuring Nigerian-American rapper, Wale is a more upbeat sound, ‘Floating’ featuring Nigerian R&B duo, VanJess, made up of sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike is a slower traditional sound that samples a myriad of instruments, making this track in particular, stand out.
”Peace” featuring Tems is the ultimate depiction of a sweet-sounding song. Mannywellz garnishes his use of falsetto in a jazzy sound that draws you in, principally, if you’re one for easy unconventional sounds. Alternative R&B fresh talent, Tems lends her acutely distinct voice to bring together this track in a blended complementary dollop that’s just delicious to listen to.
Other songs on ‘The Mirage’ E.P are ‘So good’, ‘Danfo Master’, ‘Dangerous’, and ‘SweetNTender’.
Throughout the project, Mannywellz takes his audience on a journey, floating through the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens of relationships and attachments in a world that teeters between the digital and the real world.
Mannywellz’s musical journey has been enthralling in the past few years; In 2017, he was an intrinsic part of a compilation album with artiste, American Dreamers. Together, ‘Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom’ was released and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Still, in 2017, Mannywellz toured with Nigerian-American singer, Jidenna and in 2018, he released an E.P titled “SoulFro”. He has also previously collaborated on the song “Love and Loyalty” with the award-winning Nigerian-American rapper, Wale.
In spreading a message of self-love, inspired by his own experiences and relationships, Mannywellz prompts the listening audience to take a look, not only at the relationship we have with other people and things, but to also look within ourselves. The dreamlike state that the euphonious singer puts us in while singing “every time I’m with you I feel like I’m flying” captures the entire essence of this EP: flirting with reality and illusion, indeed a Mirage.
In his words: ”I want Mirage to make people feel like they can be vulnerable. I open up about the highs and lows of love and heartbreak as we live in a digital age”.
Mannywellz’s seven-tracked E.P “Mirage” is out now and available for streaming and download on all digital platforms.
