Album Review: “Everything Left Unsaid” Triple O

 

This track is so soulful, it’s got all the right ingredients of a gospel hip hop track and so much more… I love the piano progression on this. 

 

Triple O’s voice is a London accent, and he enunciates carefully like a preacher should, he speaks over the beat carefully so that every word lands.

 

My favourite verse:

 

“Keep the gospel at the centre of your living

Never shy away from your great ambitions,

Sit and listen to your mother cos she raised you in grace,

Keeping a smile upon your beautiful face…”

 

It’s reflective, Triple O reaches deep with the lyrics on this. 

 

 

While “Inheritance” was a bright song with hope for the future, this track this song this goes dark. The 808 sub bass over the sure fire beat works well, there’s a reverse sound that brings the chords, it brings flavour for the track… 

 

Stand out bar for me: 

 

“I had a chat with depression last night

Leave me alone g, you lost!

I’m counting the cost

Now I think out of the box

I can’t let another man know that I cried in the middle of the night

Darkness over the mind

Shut your mouth cause that’s pride

Let me thank God I’m alive, I’m alive.”

 

This touches on a subject that is still a bit of a taboo among black people in my opinion and it’s mental health – Triple O isn’t afraid to go there on this. 

 

Second track in and I’m hooked! I think I’ve found my favourite track so far. 

 

 

Now we are up to track 3, I know where Triple O is going – this album is introspective- he’s letting all the emotions hang out on it, this is probably one of the most personal albums I’ve heard in a long time. 

 

This song has a fantastic beat, well produced and the guitar solo while short is beautifully played! 

 

The message in this simple, crying out for empathy, something that we need to get more of in this day and age. 

 

 

The epic beginning with the gospel choir singing “Glory” got my attention, plus stellar performances from Becca Folkes and Jae Eaux is what makes this a stand out track from an album of stand out tracks. The hi hats stutter, the bassline sizzles, and it’s a slick production all around.

 

This could be an epic track live with a full choir. 

 

“With both hands up high,

I’ll testify,

Eyes to the sky, be glorified,

With all honour only you that I see

Praise be to the king.”

 

I love this bit. 

 

 

This comes flying straight out of the hangar! Triple O turns up the tempo and you can tell this guy’s got the ability to spit bars without taking a breath…. 

 

The beat is hot, I’m going to take a guess and say it’s around 130BPM, over it Triple O just hits the ground running….

 

My interpretation of this is that he’s speaking to the youth of today, that they can do better with their lives…. It’s an important message, given what’s happened in the last two years, with the BLM movement making waves, and black people coming out of the shadows to show what they’re capable of. 

 

The verse that speaks to me the most is the hook:

 

Kingship

never ever let the crown slip

black kings we are not kids

know better, and do better – we are better

we rise up… then look at your kingship

Look at your kingship

never ever let the crown slip

black kings we are not kids

know better, and do better – we are better

we rise up… then look at your kingship

 

 

This has such a bounce to it, the kind of thing you want to start a playlist off with, it’s got a garage vibe but also has a touch of an Afrobeat because when you hear the rim shot it’s off which is a characteristic of that style… 

 

Again the soulful vocals come in courtesy of Asha Elia, and it’s not just a random hook, the vocals are very well produced making use of her in every way. Gracious references Trocadero – for those of us who grew up in London this was the spot to be in back in the day! This is one of the strongest tracks on the album. 

 

 

Ahh wordplay! This song I can really identify with. I didn’t sign up for this! 

 

The word Adulting is definitely a 21st century phrase, and I like the twist that Triple O has put on it, it’s an adult thing = adult ting. AdultTing. 

 

The references to Neighbours (RIP), Eastenders, parts of London I know and still have friends and family.. this is an anthem for those who look back with nostalgia – the beat is soulful, this is the jam that takes you back to the days of Dre, Snoop Dogg, those vibes they used to throw down, using old school vibes… 

 

Love it. 

 

 

This is based around trap beat, the thing about the way Triple O raps on this is that he has a cadence to it – let me break it down – the hi hats in the beat are rapid fire, they stutter, they speed up and slow down, from 16ths to 64ths beats, but the thing is that Triple O follows that rhythm too… he doesn’t seem to take a breath! Again another anthem I can’t wait to see if anyone take up a TikTok challenge to see if they can do it…. 

 

 

This track is sparse. Drum beat, guitar, bass but instead of synths there are vocal adlibs being used in their place. Triple O is in his reflective mode, and this song is about making it up to a friend, whoever it’s written about he cared deeply for, someone he had history with. It’s just one of those tracks that allows you to look deeper into his mind. 

 

It’s not easy to put strong feelings into lyrics and I get the feelings out into the mic and it makes me wonder what prompted him to write this. 

 

 

Again, another reflective track. This time it’s a love letter to Triple O’s younger self… this is evidenced in his first line…

 

“Rewind the time, I’m dialing to speak to a younger me

that’s hurting, residing in darker spaces – affecting my now as I speak..” 

 

It makes for compelling listening. 

 

It’s a conversation giving himself advice telling himself that this is the reward for changing things this is where he’s at later on in the future… 

 

I love the trumpet solo outro too, nice bit of jazz.

 

 

This is not a song, this is an short message to Triple O’s daughter, about how her arrival impacted not only his life, but someone else’s – many years down the line we may never have social media in its current form, but the way that social media has been turned into something negative in recent years, this shows how it’s led into a conversation that’s full of positivity. It’s a really lovely moment frozen in time… I won’t go too deep into it, but it’s definitely worth listening to just for the message behind it.

 

 

One thing of note, is the creativity around the production of this album, this starts off with a photographer organising a family photo shoot, getting people into position, and then the click of the camera, the detail going into the production is well thought out.

 

My favourite lines from this…

 

“It’s a family affair,

Without the T’s and C’s 

Without the talk just deeds,

It’s a family affair without the T’s and C’s

Without the talk just deeds,

With them I get to be me.”

 

Everyone clicks through t’s and c’s without understanding what they actually say, so I guess he’s just saying with this that there is no filter here, no consequences in just being him just being himself. 

 

Definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album. 

 

 

This has an Afrobeat vibe. A gorgeous saxophone solo, that’s dipped in reverb and the bassline is sweet too…. Something to dance to! I love the subtle percussion it just makes the groove so much nicer, this is a summer tune for sure.

 

This is a love song, and one of the strongest moments on the album. S.O. comes in with bars too, and I like the fact there’s just singing. No rap. Just singing. 

 

Beautiful work. 

 

 

Another afrobeat track, this time the tempo is kicked up slightly. Triple O has special guests on this and….

 

Yeah everyone’s bringing their a-game! It got me dancing in my seat!

 

This song has got such a joyful vibe to it, it just urges you to celebrate life in a big way, no matter what you are going through….

 

Wow. BANGER!

 

 

You can tell Triple O grew up in the church…. The gospel bassline, reminiscent of the great Abe Laboriel (What do you mean you don’t know who he is???? GET OUT!) follows that path as does the piano part, and the pitch bent organ…. Over that rapid fire beat. This was released as a single ahead of the release of the album and judging by the numbers on spotify it proved to be a bit of a hit with people and with good reason too. 

 

“I don’t really care how the world play, 

As I give you praise give it all day,

Now let me hear you all say,

Jesus is my king.”

 

The vocoded vocals work really well, reminding me of Teddy Riley, and I love 90s references so this is cool….

 

Fab work!

 

 

For the album closer, Triple O brings a more chilled out vibe, and it’s like a summary of the album lyrically, from his state of mind currently, to where he is emotionally and relationship wise, talking about his Ghana girl being his muse…. Hey I feel that being from Ghana myself!

 

Seeing someone I know, Sharyn listed in the credits for this made me smile, very talented singer, I have a lot of love for her!

 

The words that speak out for me is this…. Bear in mind that the album itself is dedicated to his daughter this is how he closes it out. 

 

“To my first born

To see the moment you were you were born

That was beauty personified

Emotional, didn’t cry  

Skin to skin; now my heart is alive which has given me drive

Years so far apart, were the worst ones

I’m writing this so you know that you were the one that made me

You came and changed me for better as I think of you daily

At the moment of writing this, I don’t know your voice

I stay calm

Cause a day is coming soon when we listen back

Together, and you can ask me the questions

Then holding you in my arms

Both singing together dance,

taking a last glance of yester-year

we stand and address the fear

I’m never letting go, tear apart every dripping tear

the tears I used to cry begin to cease

No more asking permission, I get to see you with ease

Now I feel like a father, I say it and I believe

You’re all that I ever wanted and all that I ever need.”

 

All in all…. 16 tracks. There isn’t one track I want to skip. This a project of excellence and if Triple O wanted to leave a legacy, a message not just for his daughter but for future generations then that’s what he’s done. 

 

Rap music is something that was born out of the oral traditions of Africa – stories and poems to beats. The talking drum. Music is a very social thing, you can tell your friends to go and listen to something and find solace in it, even David used psalms to calm Saul’s soul and this – because of the way it’s written, lovingly created, it will leave a mark in Triple O’s story. 

 

So, what do we know about Triple O? He’s an independent artist from London, a MOBO winner, a musician and to me a true poet. 

 

I’ve known of him for a very long time, and something told me when I saw his Facebook post that he was releasing an album that I needed to support. As a fellow musician from a church background I understand how hard it is to get your music to the mainstream, if I can help get him heard I will do my best. 

 

NOW. GO LISTEN TO THE ALBUM!