Attah Michael Ajumah’s music is conscious. Through tales of his, he inadvertently functions as a chaperone to the average ghetto youth whose odds of surviving in the stone-cold asphalt pavings are slim. Every trauma Michael conceals, Llona conveys passionately, piercing through pop filters, and audio interfaces. This is no sad-boy gimmick tailored for cheap clicks, there is a real pain, and the music is where Llona finds solace. It’s beautiful, unclad self-therapy.
Llona’s debut full-length album ‘ Homeless’ is a therapeutic frame of work, with each fragment having a soul of its own. An example is the album’s art cover, a grey-colored ‘paintesque’ image with a blurry but more colorful figure of Llona, who takes a semi-crouched disposition, appearing unsheltered. What gives this art cover meaning, at least to this writer is the length taken to achieve the desired portrait, one that involved Llona and his confined team traveling to the northern part of the country, in a bid to tally with his artistic vision. This sheer dedication is remarkably soulful and reminiscent of a true artist.
The record opener, ‘Still Scared’ quickly reveals the soulful patchings of the twelve-track oeuvre. Llona sings in courageous surrender over ethereal choral harmonies, melodic xylophones, rim shots, pads, piano chords, beautiful violin melodies, and a soft, short poem that eventually transitions into the second track, ‘ Commander’ ( featuring Wizard Chan). ‘Commander’ is a wake-up call. A paradigm shift that champions the strength in adversities. This is the strength of a true warrior, according to our progenitors.
‘Can’t Breathe’ swoons in with a sweet chorus, that is underlined by bitter, truthful confessions. There is talk of violence, betrayal, and inability to feel. Llona is numb here, but he sings through the indifference. Track four, ‘ Another Day’ (the second most streamed song off the album) is a continuity of this numb indifference. There are however hopeful silver linings attached at the climax.
The Bella Shmurda featured ‘HBP’ (the most streamed song off the album) comes next in sequence. The song needs no introduction, as it was released last year, and helped Llona gain new ears.
The deliciously arranged ‘ Stranger’ is unambiguous even when it tries to present itself as the opposite. This is a heartbreak song, despite the absence of a pin-pointed antagonist. At the end of Stranger, we hear another therapeutic, soft poem over the gentle waves of the ocean, representing a tentative calm. The groovy and catchy ‘Gangster Love Letter’ is a sequel to ‘Stranger’, or so it appears.
Fave’s enlisted ‘Cold War’, although released earlier before the album release, still strikes a rude awakening to the ears thanks to the beautiful and soulful delivery of both singers, who are real-life friends hence the effortless chemistry. The cult anthem, ‘Comforter’ queues next. A beautiful beautiful offering about addictions.
Ultimately, Llona can make the kind of music he makes due to his haunting past. It’s a sad boy blues enhanced by therapeutic lyrics. Music is his healer, the only ‘place’ he can truly call home, a sweet escape.
