Various Artists – Lord Have Mercy EP

New Bell Music

Various Artists – Lord Have Mercy EP

  • Release date: 2015-01-23
  • Label: New Bell Music

New Bell Music is proud to present the Lord Have Mercy EP! Our second project to be released this year, Lord Have Mercy is a five-song compilation EP introducing our newest artists, Tilla, Pascal, and Shey. Lord Have Mercy ushers in a new era of music for 2015, providing seamless collaborations with New Bell Music’s talented powerhouses, Jovi and Reniss, and delivering to listeners a unique blend of trap, dancehall, pop, electronic, and the dark Mboko hip hop coming out of producer Le Monstre’s creative catalog. Le Monstre’s compositions are eclectic, evolving urban soundscapes that use inventive samples and instrumentation blended with a variety of African melodies and rhythms. The additional artists on the EP bring melodies, harmonies, regional dialects, and creative swag to each song, creating a lush, futuristic, African hip hop fusion that is characteristic of New Bell Music’s releases.

Lord Have Mercy starts off with Tilla’s acclaimed song “Pantana,” released earlier in January, featuring Shey and Reniss. The electrifying dancehall beat and Tilla’s hard flows, meld with Shey’s energetic reggae hooks and Reniss’ charming chorus over a lilting, highlife guitar line. The EP moves to Jovi’s song, “Charger,” a haunting, church bell-punctuated, trap beat with eerie music box tones floating throughout. Jovi’s wild vocals are both serious and humorous at the same time, interspersed with his signature Pidgin punchlines. After Jovi’s dark Mboko hip hop track, emerges Pascal and Shey’s “Horsepower,” like a ray of sunshine after the storm. Shey’s super catchy chorus and smooth vocals in “Horsepower” highlight his writing versatility, while Pascal’s playful flow and lyrics in Pidign follow along creating the infectious Afro-pop dance track. Next up is the title song “Lord Have Mercy.” Reniss’ gorgeous voice glides through the laid-back reggae tune, proclaiming New Bell’s catch phrase “Any time we shoot we no di miss,” and features Tilla’s killer rap, fused with the sick blues/rock guitar lines of Francois. The final track on Lord Have Mercy is the “Et P8 Koi 237 Remix.” The cypher features seven Cameroonian rappers, including Tilla and Pascal who rep New Bell Music, along with Teddy Doherty, Zayox, Mic Monsta, Inna Money, and Dareal. Like the original song, the “Et P8 Koi 237 Remix” is flawlessly executed and is simply bars on bars on bars, with an additional bass-heavy, choral arrangement added, and proclaims to the world that Cameroon is full of talented artists. New Bell Music continues to lead the movement to push Cameroonian music into the world, and our artists make it easy by allowing us to showcase their work, guided by super-producer, Le Monstre.

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