Everything about Fireboy DML’s fifth album feels larger than life. Even its mellowest moments sound enormous, with expansive arrangements, choral backing vocals and electronic production providing a backdrop for the Nigerian star’s smooth, expressive singing. The album opens on a hopeful note with “DEAR FATHER”, a prayer for strength in the face of life’s difficulties. “Dear Father, hear me now/Answer my call/It is a long way down/I don’t wanna fall,” Fireboy sings. That appeal to a higher power takes a more confrontational turn on the assertive “BY FIRE!”, where he chants, “Let the enemy die by fire.” It’s a striking contrast to the smooth, romantic side of Fireboy that comes through on “GODDESS”, a tropical Afropop collaboration with Lojay. The album also has its share of dance-floor moments. Jamaican dancehall DJ Masicka joins him on the infectious “CLAAT!”, while “IMALI” brings together the front-runners of South Africa’s 3-step sound, JAZZWRLD and Thukuthela. Elsewhere, Fireboy’s R&B sensibilities meet electronic dance music on “ONE MAN REGIMENT”, where the production still steps with restraint, allowing his silky vocals to remain at the forefront. It’s danceable without losing the smoothness that runs through much of the album and is particularly pronounced on the airy “SEX LOVE UNDERSTANDING TRUST” and the precisely delivered “LIGHT OF DAWN”. These songs allow Fireboy to explore a more understated R&B sound, with his vocals taking centre stage. His vocal abilities come into even sharper focus on “FIGHTING”, a sentimental ballad on which he delivers an effortless performance. “It’s not an easy life, but that’s OK by me,” he sings. “As long as my friends and my family stay by me/And my diamonds stay shining.” It recalls the album’s opening prayer, bringing its recurring themes of faith, vulnerability and perseverance together.