If sunlight could manifest as music it would probably sound like Timi Dakolo’s third album, The Chorus Leader. Last seen stirring up festive cheer on his 2019 collection of Christmas songs, Merry Christmas, Darling, the Nigerian singer-songwriter’s latest offering invokes a rapturous spirit of love and joy set to beats precision-engineered to uplift even the most dour of moods. True to the title, Dakolo’s powerfully husky tone is capable of marshalling his lush choir of backing vocals into amplifying the maximum-watt energy of “Happy Fellows” and “Premium Enjoyment”, or steering them into awed reverence on the home pride anthem, “Men of the South”. Back-to-back collaborations with some of Nigeria’s premier artists lend gravitas to the easy, midtempo groove of “Na so E Be”—which plays host to reggae and dancehall icon Patoranking’s laidback confidence—while “This Woman” twinkles with contributions from a veritable constellation of stars, including legendary producer Cobhams Asuquo. Dakolo shifts genres with ease, alternating soul and highlife with finger-snapping swing, Afrobeats and smooth R&B influences, highlighting his natural versatility as an artist. Sophisticated, perspicacious and radiating with joie de vivre, The Chorus Leader is a dazzling showcase for Dakolo’s remarkable talent.