Toby Williams’ Cover of “Venus” by Faceless ft Serotonin: A Clasp of Charm, Creativity, and Ingenuity

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Music serves diverse main functions, but at some points, when it goes so ethereal, the beauty becomes infectious, its depth lures, and resonance takes the center of it all. This is the power of it that transcends any box humans could put it in. Among those Nigerians making sounds like this is Oluwatobi Oyero, and one of his charms is the cover of “Venus,” by Faceless featuring Serotonin. It is not alarming that it’s only a few that get to that strata in music composition or production, but it’s intriguing that Oyero is creating this magnificence with the bass guitar.

Filled with grace and ease, Oluwatobi Oyero popularly known as Toby Williams, a Nigerian-based bassist, composer, and producer, strikes the first note that pinches the soul, making also the mind of every listener very attentive. In a popular take in music where the bass guitar is felt to take roles by the sides, Toby Williams’ bass guitar doesn’t. It leads the sounds and song, even providing it a ground to settle. It also serves as a backdrop to the song’s splendor. The chords’ harmony finds essence in their togetherness, giving the song another level of depth. However, it would have been perfect if its timing added some pauses at some intervals.

The tone of the bass guitar has a feel of a punchy attack, and it does not only calmly set the soul on fire; it provides it a haven for rest, rest and, at the same time, a jumpy move for joyful leaps. Toby Williams takes his time conjuring his listeners with the sound of his bass guitar. His play of the bass guitar sits well with other sounds on the song. The drum set, the African percussion, the piano, among other used musical instruments, follow the lead of the bass guitar. While it may not have even outrightly started the sounds, its dominance is evident, and it could be considered bold if it were human. With a steady rhythm, Toby Williams follows the trail of musical soothing.

Simplicity is a key that opens the hearts of listeners the most. Toby Williams’ bass guitar gives simplicity at its best. Toby Williams’ cover of “Venus” exposes more sensuality, splendor, feminine allure, and the irresistible charm that the title and the song itself depict. “Shele no deny am o,” the repetitive clause in the sound brings forth pleas, and it’s deepened by Toby’s sound. With all these, the sound is still simple. From his YouTube video, which has garnered 33k views, there’s no mark that doesn’t showcase creativity. His skillful strumming without any mistakes makes him one of the few ingenious bass guitarists in Nigeria who have proven their worth.

Toby Williams’ cover of this soulful Afro-fusion, “Venus” by Faceless featuring Serotonin, adds depth to the song and, even without a chart, really adds some numbers to the streams of the song. Apart from its positive impacts on the song, it showcases Toby Williams as an ingenious artist himself, for which the people should doff their hats. His versatility, swaying across genres, makes him a composer with depth and skillfulness. His performance would have added more if his face reflected more of the song’s emotion. Regardless, this cover will go down in history as one of Afrobeats’ most creative covers.