Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER — Album Review
Alternative | Rock | Funk | Rap
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
How does one follow up what was easily my favourite album of 2021? The question that has been on the back of my mind throughout the entirety of Genesis Owusu’s promotional cycle for his second studio album.
For those of you who aren’t yet in the know, Ghanaian Australian singer-songwriter Kofi Owusu-Ansah, known more widely by his stage name as Genesis Owusu absolutely wowed the hell out of me with his debut album Smiling with No Teeth, released in 2021.
The debut album in question offered an insane amount of variety in its stylistic abundance, covering everything from serenely soulful to grotesquely gritty. But on top of that, that album still managed to be unique with each and every track that was on there, despite how there truly was at least something on there that any kind of listener could access.
When all of that is taken into account, you have what is the closest thing to a perfect debut album could be, in which it tremendously displayed the kind of artist and person Genesis Owusu is, while simultaneously showcasing all of the different avenues the musician could go down. In short, it was no surprise really, that Smiling with No Teeth wound up being my top album of 2021. I said it then, and I’ll say it now; Genesis Owusu really is one to watch out for.
With a couple of more generic-sounding single releases which (thankfully) didn’t make it onto Genesis Owusu’s follow-up album, it only became harder to pinpoint where exactly he would go next sonically.
But with the true teasing for the brand new album commencing earlier this year, it became more and more clear with each subsequent release that Genesis Owusu was beginning to vouch for that alternative rock vibe, which felt very reminiscent of artists like Yves Tumor or Petite Noir, which was definitely a sign of things going in the right direction.
The album that each of the teaser tracks were heralding the arrival of, was given the title of STRUGGLER. Though this album could’ve easily been called “The Roach” (fret not though, there’s a track for that on this album anyway). The very first teaser track for this album, “Leaving The Light” sets up the narrative tone, with “roaches” being a frequent theme, perhaps leaning towards one’s own feelings of self-deprecation in that they are the roach in question.
Of course, by following through with this narrative, that everything feels very tied together. But that’s not the only thing; the more punk rock-esque vibe of the production definitely succeeds in doing this too.
This sonic aesthetic that covers almost all of STRUGGLER reflects some of my favourite tracks off of Smiling with No Teeth from a stylistic standpoint; take the likes of “Drown” and “Black Dogs!” for instance. Mixing that with a lighter sprinkle of more atmospheric elements that reflect some of my other favourite tracks off the debut album.
In short, what Genesis Owusu has done with STRUGGLER is likely the best approach that one could’ve made with a follow up to a debut like Smiling with No Teeth, and that is to do things slightly differently.
In essence, STRUGGLER is an album that finally begins to show Genesis Owusu unify his sound, and moreover carve out a signature aesthetic for himself, which is great to see.
It would be very bold of me to say at this stage that STRUGGLER is an album I actually prefer to the artist’s debut. But even at this moment in time, it certainly does a great job of competing.
Favourite Tracks: Leaving the Light | The Roach | Balthazar | Stay Blessed | What Comes Will Come
OURNESS | AWAL Recordings
