Small Chops is an immensely sweet and satisfying listen, one whose softness and restraint are balanced by just enough rhythmic energy to keep it lively throughout.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Over the past few years, Mannywellz has quietly established himself as one of the most distinctive voices operating at the intersection of Afrobeats, R&B, soul, and contemporary pop. Born Emmanuel Ajomale and raised between Nigeria and the United States, the singer, songwriter, and producer has built a career defined by fluid musicality and emotional sincerity, blending the rhythmic sensibilities of his Nigerian roots with the polished songwriting traditions of American R&B.
Early projects such as Mirage and SoulFro introduced an artiste comfortable moving between genres without feeling confined by any one of them, while collaborations with acts like VanJess and sustained success on streaming platforms steadily expanded his audience beyond the African diaspora. Rather than chasing trends, Mannywellz has consistently leaned into warm melodies, conversational lyricism, and a deeply personal approach to storytelling, cultivating a sound that feels equally suited to intimate listening sessions and broader crossover appeal.
That artistic trajectory provides important context for Small Chops, a project whose title immediately evokes bite-sized offerings brought together into a satisfying whole. Arriving after years of gradual artistic refinement and increasing international recognition, the record continues Mannywellz’s exploration of the space between Afrobeats and Alternative R&B while embracing the versatility that has become one of his defining strengths.
In speaking about the project, he has framed it as an intentionally varied collection of songs that reflect different moods, experiences, and facets of his artistry rather than a singular narrative, inviting listeners to sample multiple flavours without losing sight of the cohesive identity that ties them together.
In many ways, Small Chops feels emblematic of Mannywellz’s career to date, showcasing an artiste who has become increasingly confident in blending cultures, genres, and emotional textures into music that is unmistakably his own while continuing to broaden the scope of what contemporary African pop can comfortably encompass.
“Do You” eases Small Chops into motion with understated confidence, opening on the warm resonance of a sitar before snippets of conversation about “small chops” and a voicemail-style exchange neatly introduce both the project’s title and its intimate atmosphere. Mannywellz soon slips into the frame with the buttery, airy vocal style that has become his trademark, floating over a sparse soul arrangement anchored by an agile acoustic bassline, soft pad chords, and understated percussion that arrives through delicate tom patterns and syncopated flourishes.
The song carries the loose spontaneity of an open mic performance, its melodies flowing freely rather than feeling boxed into rigid structures, while its suggestive romance is captured in lines like, “Please don’t look at me like that / Unless you want to leave here with a ring / Please don’t look at me like that / Unless you want offsprings that look like we,” balancing sweetness with playful wit as Mannywellz transforms flirtation into something soulful and effortlessly charming.
The lead single, “How It Feels”, settles into an irresistible Afro-Swing groove where a rich bassline initially carries much of the melodic weight before ghostly pad chords, shimmering synth arpeggios, and chopped vocal samples gradually widen the soundscape. Mannywellz approaches the subject of falling in love with poetic sensitivity, singing, “How do you smell like that? / You are in fact my petrichor / May I be sprung / How do you move like that? / Through hell and back / My heart’s at war,” before repeatedly asking, “Is this how it feels to fall in love with you?”
His expressive delivery, light falsetto inflections, subtle group harmonies, and jazzy scat passages give the otherwise simple instrumental remarkable emotional depth. Wale enters for the second verse with the calm authority of a veteran lyricist, bringing fluid flows and thoughtful bars that mirror the song’s introspective romanticism as he reflects on lovers, tragedy, and formidable emotional battles. Across Small Chops, the understated production wisely leaves the narrative and heartfelt performances to carry the record, and here that restraint pays off beautifully.
On “Holy Father”, acoustic bass riffs and pizzicato strings establish an elegant foundation before effected humming gives way to sparse R&B syncopation built from steady hi-hats, downbeat kicks, crisp snares, snaps, bright strummed guitars, synth leads, and subtle string textures. The song unfolds as something resembling a prayer, with Mannywellz marvelling at the perfection of the person before him through emotionally inflected singing that feels remarkably fluid and alive.
Rather than relying on tightly boxed melodic patterns, he trusts his instincts completely, climbing comfortably through registers while maintaining warmth and vulnerability throughout. The sentiment crystallises in the repeated plea, “Holy Father / How could you make someone this fire? / Flawless and this fire / Perfect and this fire,” while sparse falsetto harmonies quietly colour the edges of the arrangement, resulting in a brief but highly effective showcase of expressive vocal performance.
Serving as the project’s midpoint, “You Are From God” functions as a vocally driven interlude whose simplicity becomes its greatest strength. Bright buzzing synth brass chords and a rounded synth bass establish a bold backdrop for Mannywellz to indulge in playful vocal exploration, stretching into his upper register through ululations, swooping refrains, and broad melodic gestures that prioritise expression over lyrical density.
The repeated declaration, “Do you know that you are really special? / In your soul, I find better things than gold… You are from God,” is elevated by towering group vocals, stadium-sized claps, and layer upon layer of overlapping harmonies that transform the short interlude into one of the biggest vocal moments on Small Chops, driven almost entirely by performance and arrangement.
“Cry On You” returns to intimacy through a spacious old-school R&B palette where thumping basslines lock in with restrained kicks while synth strings, subtle saxophone flourishes, vibrato-rich chords, steady hats, and crisp rimshots create an expansive emotional backdrop. Mannywellz adopts a gentle, empathetic tone throughout, presenting himself as someone willing to shoulder another person’s burdens rather than merely admire them from afar.
That tenderness is encapsulated by the opening lines, “It’s 2am in the morning / Ki lo ṣẹ my darling? [What is the matter, my darling?] / It be like say you want something / A little aid for your problem,” before the repeated promise to “Cry on you” reframes emotional support as an act of devotion. His melodies remain deliberately straightforward, with only occasional harmonic embellishments, allowing every vocal inflection to reinforce the song’s soft and reassuring atmosphere.
The energy noticeably lifts on “Zeze”, the most dance-oriented moment on Small Chops, where clacking triplet Afrobeats percussion, agile bass guitar lines, four-on-the-floor kicks, rattling shakers, and lively percussion immediately push the project toward the dancefloor without sacrificing its characteristic smoothness.
Plucked acoustic guitars and an infectious synth hook provide melodic colour while brass accents inject further movement into the arrangement. Mannywellz matches that instrumental vitality with rapid-fire opening vocals before settling into his trademark relaxed delivery, effortlessly balancing groove with melody. The celebratory spirit is reflected in lines such as “Zeze, you is too gorgeous / All of the zeze girls, oya come to the front / Let us give them something to talk about,” turning admiration into communal celebration. In doing so, the track injects a welcome burst of momentum into an otherwise mellow record while reminding listeners that this side of Mannywellz’s artistry remains very much intact.
Closing Small Chops, “Wow” opens on strummed acoustic guitars, sweeping pads, synth strings, and an enveloping sub-bass before Mannywellz enters with bright, almost awestruck vocals directed heavenward. “Yah, if you’re listening / Give me your greatest invention / Are you listening / I’ll wait here til satisfaction,” he sings, framing the record around both spiritual questioning and romantic longing as subtle Afro-Latin percussion gradually emerges through clacking rims, bongos, tambourines, shakers, and understated kicks.
R&B vocalist Lekan proves an inspired collaborator, matching Mannywellz’s energy with equally soft-spoken precision while comfortably exploring his upper register through light falsetto passages that blend seamlessly into the layered harmonies surrounding the chorus. The gentle vocal interplay, tasteful backing groups, and sensual delivery make for a fittingly graceful conclusion, before a closing voicemail callback neatly bookends the conversation that first introduced Small Chops, bringing the project full circle with quiet satisfaction.
There is something wonderfully fitting about the title Small Chops. In Nigerian parlance, small chops are bite-sized delights meant to satisfy, tease the palate, and leave you wanting more, and Mannywellz approaches the project with precisely that philosophy. Rather than presenting an exhaustive artistic statement, he offers a compact but carefully curated serving of his musical identity, balancing the dual impulses of singer and songwriter with the ease of someone completely comfortable in both roles.
For longtime fans of soul and R&B, it is another reminder of why Mannywellz has steadily built such an appreciative audience, delivering a concise but deeply satisfying body of work that feels less like a compromise and more like an intentional taste of what he does best.
Throughout Small Chops, his artistic voice continues to mature in ways that feel distinctly his own. His writing remains poetic, witty, conversational, and full of personality, capable of being sensual without ever tipping into crudeness or feeling forced. Even while revolving largely around love and romance, the songs rarely become repetitive because he consistently approaches familiar emotions from different angles and perspectives.
Whether playfully imagining marriage and family on “Do You”, examining uncertainty on “How It Feels”, or embracing the looser, more vibe-driven conventions of Afrobeats on “Zeze”, Mannywellz demonstrates an intuitive understanding of what each song requires. His adaptability is equally reflected in his collaborators, with Wale contributing a thoughtful verse rich with clever wordplay, smooth flows, storytelling, and lyrical finesse that naturally complements the project’s intelligent and emotionally grounded writing without disrupting its identity.
If there is a true heartbeat running through Small Chops, however, it is Mannywellz’s voice itself. More than anything else, he is a vocalist at heart, and every decision across the project seems designed to foreground that strength. Confident in his melodic instincts, he allows his lead vocals to carry the emotional weight while using harmonies and group vocals sparingly as accents rather than crutches, reserving them for moments where they create maximum impact.
The result is a style of singing that feels remarkably fluid and free, gliding effortlessly through airy lower passages before climbing into piercing higher registers without ever sounding strained. His melodies refuse to be boxed into rigid pop formulas, instead flowing naturally from phrase to phrase with an ease that continually draws the listener deeper into the music.
Even the closing appearance from Lekan works because it shares those same qualities, offering a complementary interpretation rather than competing for attention, making the feature feel like an extension of Mannywellz’s own vocal world.
Everything else on Small Chops exists largely in service of that singing, and nowhere is that more evident than in Mannywellz’s own production work, which continues to showcase his steady evolution into an increasingly complete all-round musician and artiste. The production consistently prioritises space, allowing basslines to provide a sturdy foundation beneath his register while simple guitar voicings, pad chords, strings, brass textures, synth leads, and countermelodies quietly frame the melodic landscape without intruding upon it.
The arrangements remain understated but carefully layered, adding texture and support exactly where needed while resisting the temptation to overcrowd the songs. Even the drums adopt that philosophy, functioning primarily to establish pulse and groove rather than dominate proceedings, with “Zeze” standing as the lone exception where Afrobeats naturally demands greater rhythmic activity.
His growing confidence behind the boards is evident not through unnecessary complexity but through an assured understanding of restraint, atmosphere, and the precise relationship between production and performance. The engineering also follows the same principle, keeping Mannywellz’s lead vocals bright, clear, and firmly at the centre of the mix while every surrounding element is balanced around the main event.
Taken together, Small Chops is an immensely sweet and satisfying listen, one whose softness and restraint are balanced by just enough rhythmic energy to keep it lively throughout. It is romantic without becoming saccharine, relaxed without ever feeling sleepy, and compact without sacrificing completeness.
Like the snack that inspires its title, it offers just enough to satisfy while simultaneously whetting the appetite for whatever Mannywellz chooses to serve next, leaving behind the impression of an artiste who understands both the strength of his voice and exactly how best to use it while continuing to expand his range as a songwriter, producer, and fully realised musical craftsman.
Lyricism – 1.5
Tracklisting – 1.5
Sound Engineering – 1.6
Vocalisation – 1.7
Listening Experience – 1.6
Rating – 7.9/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.