Asake’s Amapiano-tinged Afro-Fusion sound proved a winning formula in his successful 2022 debut ‘Mr. Money With The Vibe’. Almost every song on the album was a hit. Asake’s affinity to the genre is so intense the lead single to ‘Work Of Art’ was titled ‘Amapiano’ and the song is built on those rattling Bacardi snares and the forever banging log drum, and so are a majority of the songs on the project.
While Afrobeats/Afro-Fusion artists incorporating Amapiano into their music isn’t new, Asake’s style is set apart by his use of choral backing vocals which are inspired by the Yoruba genre Fuji and add a spiritual element to his boastful lyrics. A song like ‘Sunshine’, for instance, has the potential of making you cry, it will just be while dancing.
Asake is easily the hottest new Afrobeats/Afro-Fusion scene and most of the album is a celebration of his success. “Oluwa gbe from the slum to the top,” he sings on ‘Awodi’ and proclaims that the titular work of art is indeed him on ‘Basquiat’ where he sings, “Walking poetry, I am greater/ I’m a work of art, Basquiat” over a violin solo accompanied by amapiano’s whizzing synths and thwacking log drum. ‘Work Of Art’ is a jovial project, which is expected from an artist who started his career as a dancer. There are plenty of sing-alongs and songs to make you sweat on the dance floor. Asake and his production team crafted a monolithic project that still has songs that doesn’t sound like each other.
Stream ‘Work Of Art’ by Asake below:
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