Patoranking Drops Sophomore Album, ‘Wilmer’

At the start of May, Patoranking cleared his Instagram feed in order to shine a spotlight on his album announcement, which came in the form of an open letter to his daughter. After just a few weeks, Wilmer, the reggae-dancehall star’s sophomore LP, is finally here.

The title track, “Wilmer”, opens the project, and thanks to an immensely lively beat, courtesy of Mr Kamera, it’s instantly arresting. On the track, Patoranking professes his love for his daughter, describing her as his everything and promising to give her all that he can.

Georgian singer, Bera does an excellent job with his verse on “Wilmer”, sharing captivating vocals that emphasise the track’s beautiful message. Nyashinski and Busiswa are also impressive on “Nakupenda” and “Open Fire”, but Davido remains a standout on lead single, “Confirm”.

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Unsurprisingly, given that the tape is dedicated to his daughter, love emerges as a key theme throughout Wilmer. That doesn’t mean the project is one-note, as Patoranking also touches on deeper issues, such as the division of black people on the contemplative track, “Black”.

As well as instructing us to love each other in order to elevate our race, Patoranking also empowers his listeners on an individual level. On “Champion”, he tells us that we must work hard at what we love — this is the formula he followed to success, so we’re inclined to heed his advice.

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While the empowering “Champion” is a distinctly pop record, Wilmer is a reggae tape at its core, with Patoranking particularly embracing the dancehall subgenre on memorable songs like “Temperature” and “Go Crazy”.

Thanks to the outstanding effort of the album’s producers, especially DJ Coublon — who produced standout tracks, “Feeling” and “Nakupenda” — Patoranking has delivered a lively album, full of distinct party-starters.

Listen to Wilmer below: