Davido’s 5IVE reviewed: triumph and tradeoffs for Nigerian superstar

Davido’s latest album, 5IVE, is more than a fifth chapter – it’s a pivot. Infused with genre experimentation, lyrical depth, and a surprising penchant for numerology, 5IVE is both an evolution and a mirror, reflecting not only Davido’s personal journey but also the broader transformation – and occasional dilution – of ‘Afrobeats’ on the global stage.

The opening track, Five by Alhanislam, is less song than grandiose sermon. Delivered by spoken-word artist Maryam Bukar Hassan, the 1:11-minute monologue sets the stage with angel numbers and prophetic flair – all in service of the central theme: five.

With Anything, Davido balances faith and panache. “No get time to sleep, leave pressure for the weak,” he asserts, before likening himself to biblical David confronting Goliath. At his best, Davido isn’t singing about cars or conquests, but conviction. That honesty threads through Be There Still, a gritty, grief-tinged tribute to his late three-year old son, where he confesses, “the pain brings out the best in me.” Here, he doesn’t just tell a story – he bleeds it.

Peaks and troughs

But not all that glitters is gospel. Titanium, his Chris Brown collaboration, lands like soggy toast – clichéd, sonically Westernised, and oddly divorced from any Nigerian musical DNA. It’s a reminder that in chasing global streams, something deeply African can get lost in translation. Davido certainly isn’t the only artist to fall victim to this, yet for someone once synonymous with hits like Skelewu and If, this polished blandness feels like a betrayal.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Davido project without a nod – or several – to romance. But here, quantity overwhelms quality. Offa Me with Victoria Monét is a limp call-and-response that neither smoulders nor soothes. Lover Boy, despite featuring Francophone icons Tayc and Dadju, disintegrates under cringeworthy lyrics like “I got so many girls in my area,” resembling a forgotten SoundCloud demo more than grown songwriting.

Still, 5IVE has its peaks. Lately and With You offer welcome returns to Davido’s Nigerian core – raw, reflective, and steeped in spiritual overtones – the essence of David Adedeji Adeleke beneath the superstar veneer. Omah Lay’s animated performance and silky vocals in With You all but carry the album, while Davido wisely opts for a more grounded delivery.

And then there’s 10 Kilo, the chicken metaphor we didn’t know we needed. Playing on Nigerian market slang, the track is a flirty ode to plus-sized confidence, one of the album’s few genuinely light-hearted moments that still lands.

Identity crisis

But here’s the catch: despite its merits, 5IVE feels at times like a stylistic identity crisis. It wants to be everything – Afrobeats, Amapiano, R&B, 3-Step – and in the process, often becomes nothing in particular. Davido himself has acknowledged this tension, noting in interviews that each project must “please the Western world and make money for the label,” but also “please our original fans”.

This is evident on the tenth track, Holy Water featuring Victony, which attempts to baptise the listener in spirituality but slips on its own contradictions. Between sultry double-entendres and casual swearing, it feels more Saturday night than Sunday morning. Yet a first-place ranking on the Nigeria Official Top 100 Albums proves Davido knows how to sell a narrative, if not always a cohesive album.

Ultimately, 5IVE is both a triumph and a trade-off. It’s a tale of a man who’s mourning, maturing, and monetising – sometimes all in one verse. Whether it’s the nostalgia, success, or rhythm that drew you in, know this: the Afrobeat juggernaut may not be slaying Goliath this time, but he’s still very much in the fight.