The Queen Of Afrobeats has never been more vulnerable or sexier, than she is on her fourth studio album—where she’s absolutely lost in the clouds.
After a decade of relevance, resolute longevity, and conquering African contemporary pop music with defiant sensual anthems that her stage name is an allegory for, Tiwa Savage certainly doesn’t have anything to prove anymore. Like her Western counterparts, she didn’t attain the zenith of female pop success by being subservient in her topics or mannerisms, but now that she’s an OG—she can play by her own rules and let herself be a lover girl through and through.
This album isn’t personal to the point of being deeply introspective, but there is an unmissable vulnerability here that makes the emotions feel very tangible. And it makes sense after all, because this is coming from a popstar who despite having made multiple love records in the past, has never thrown caution to the wind and being unabashedly in love like she is on here.
Album Opener, I’m Done is a soulful ballad where Tiwa laments about the age-old struggle of finding genuine love in a cutthroat world. She’s a superstar but this is a sentiment the average person can relate to and is definitely a good entry point into connecting with the album. The song might not feature a soul shattering vocal performance, but the emotion will anchor you anyways.
On Angel Dust, Tiwa sings about how powerful and sexy her lover makes her feel. Despite how right loving him is, it feels scandalous nonetheless, thus underscoring how befuddling love is. Her writing is functional and like the opener, it’s her rich and sultry voice that carries the voice. You4Me kicks the tempo up a notch and treads familiar midtempo Afropop territory, that Tiwa has tapped into in the past to make hits from like Luva Luva. Her delivery here is more R&B-esque though and less lamba, keeping in tone with the overall pathos.
On The Low is cut from the same sonic fabric and it’s no mystery why Tiwa deploys Skepta on this track, as he’s mastered the art of floating over these swing infused, Afro-pop tracks and is also a formular he’s utilized to score hits with Wizkid in the past. Despite not being a fan of the rapper, this writer wished his verse was longer as it’s the best and most sublime part of the song.
Holding It Down has the composition of a pure blues track, with the sort of chord progression that defined 90s R&B classics. Tiwa sings “I’m not doing this for entertainment” iterating the fact that she isn’t down for mind games and wants out, if they’re not on the same page. Soulful jazz horns segues us into 10% where Tiwa confesses about her deep seated lust inhibitions that can only be cured by her lover’s touch. When he calls, her mind turns into a mush and she becomes a puppet to his antics.
So you don’t forget Tiwa is a superstar amidst all her swooning so far, she reminds you she’s a “savage” on Twisted. She has options for days and she’s also feisty as hell. You know, usual stuff that comes with the territory of being a superstar. Her love interest also seems to be into her feistiness and indulges her perilous sexual antics. It’s a sexy record, that free spirited women would undoubtedly gravitate towards.
Scared Of Love is arguably one of the best tracks of album and it has Tiwa in her R&B bag once again. It’s really interesting to see an Afrobeats star shine on pure R&B tracks like this one, where there are barely any Afro elements in the production or delivery. The song would have fared even better with a SZA or H.E.R. feature, as the soundscape is tailor made for them but it’s a great song nonetheless. Pray No More has Tiwa affirming to her lover that they’re meant to be because they’re kindred spirits, so she won’t be waiting on destiny before seizing the moment.
Addicted is an interesting duet and it’s nice to see Tiwa bounce off energy with an artist that comes almost two generations after hers, and while her chemistry with Taves is solid—the production is a let down. The beat isn’t sure if it’s trying to be funk or synth pop, so it’s stuck somewhere in the middle. On the album’s eponymous interlude, Tiwa’s lines underscores the major theme of vulnerability and openness driving the album.
“We go back to strangers, but I don’t want us to” she sings, wearing her heart on her chest without shying away from emotion and vulnerability. Will I Run Again brings things back home to Afrobeats territory. The song is emotive with rhythmic and piercing acoustic guitar chords, but the baseline is unmistakably African and Tiwa’s wailing about the potency of the spell her lover casts on her is perfect for the song’s ambience.
Log drums are a domineering presence on For One Night and despite its mainstream presentation, it has a very strong emotional core that talks about the debilitating effect of pretending to want something casual, when you actually want the real deal. “But I will always get back up and try” once again, Tiwa’s sentiment on this album is clearer than ever. She could get dealt a bad hand by love, get her heart broken and her world shattered but she would always willing to try again because love is worth it.
Change is a feel-good, wholesome track about second chances that closes the album on the same high note it starts out on. James Fauntleroy and Tiwa’s vocals contrast so nicely when stacked on each other and is probably the sole distinct quality of the track that distinguishes it from the rest, because at this point, the R&B deep cuts start to sound a little too similar.
Tiwa Savage’s This One Is Personal does feel personal, because the pop Queen is more vulnerable than ever and she goes on sonic adventures that she’s never explored before. There is so much to like about this album and a few filler tracks, that hold it back a bit. Nonetheless, it’s a glowing testament of her talent that she can still put out an album this good late into her career.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion: 1.5/2
Expansive Production: 1.2/2
Songwriting: 1.3/2
Delivery: 1.5/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.5/2
Total: 7.0/10
