Music review: Sheebah’s ‘Wesibadde’ proves she doesn’t need Jeff to drop a banger

I was about to review Gloria Bugie’s latest single, Te Quiero but then changed my mind – I just didn’t have the energy.

So I took on this delightful little ditty from Sheebah.

It’s immediately charming, this song, what with its dancehall – pop mish mash approach.

Wesibadde is immediately fun and sassy, which is an essential trademark of Sheebah’s music, so no surprises there.

 
The first thing that gets you about this track is the ramped up groove it comes packing, one that is augmented by shakers (I kid you not). It’s a genuinely surprising move by whoever was on the production board, because shakers are as retro as it gets.

They give the track a certain oomph factor, one which Sheebah is only delighted to take advantage of in the song’s music video.

The other thing I noticed as the track rolled along are how neat the harmonies are, how melodic. Sheebah’s vocals can at best be described as ‘capturing the essence of her personality’ which is a nice way of saying she sings ‘okay’. She does channel her persona through her voice, and it is instantly recognisable. But if you are looking for the dulcet tones that let you appreciate vocals, you will often find that in her backing harmonies lately. The harmonies on Wesibadde are really smooth, and distinctly gorgeous.

But more importantly, the song is pure pop fun, and as a plus, something delicious to wriggle to on the dance floor. She’s got a banger on her hands with this one, eh?

It is pretty impressive how Sheebah moved on from Jeff Kiwanuka – this is the sort of track he would typically have lined up for her, something commercially viable that worked on radio as well as on the dance floor. The fact that she is able to drop this sort of track after parting ways with him is proof of her resilience and ability to adapt.