By Dennis Asiimwe
A couple of things crossed my mind as soon as I came across this collaboration. First: what a year Alien Skin has had, eh?
And he seems to be making smart moves, ingraining himself into the industry. Kid plans to be around for a while.
Second, where the heck has Aziz Azion been? Probably on the peripheral of the industry, song writing and producing, but it is good to see him back in the limelight – he is a talented lad, he is.
Aziz’s skill set is such that he can work with literally anyone, so a team up with the otherworldly energy that Alien possesses is certainly intriguing.
Vocally, Aziz is in great form on Matala, sounding like he’s been here all the while. The song starts off with that a light, Zouk-esque groove with R & B undertones that often define Aziz’s material, complete with those lovely harmonies that he is able to work into his songs seamlessly.
With Alien Skin ad libbing neatly in the back, it is still something of a sleight of hand when the song suddenly morphs into a dancehall-defined musical bed that Alien Skin can spit on.
And here the song takes advantage of the dramatically-contrasting styles of the two artistes, and their distinct styles. The way the song switches gears to accommodate each artiste is sleek, and here you are able to get an idea of Aziz’ production nous.
I love the fact that Alien Skin can thrive on this sort of track – it shows a sort of versatility to him that bodes well for the future, and also opens him up to a wider audience. It will certainly give him a longevity that will prove useful.
The song is masterful, in the way it works with both artistes, accommodating their individual styles without smothering either artiste.
My only issue with the track is that it clocks in at about two minutes 37 seconds, which has somehow become an industry standard. I imagine if this was performed live, it would run on for at least 10 minutes, because it if a fun song with so much potential, especially while it fluctuates between the two singers’ styles.
Listening to it for just two minutes 37 seconds is almost criminal. I kept feeling like the song was cut off, but heck, radio stations and social media define these decisions these days, and there is nothing much we can do about it.
