Familiar Yet Original.
Ayotemi is out with another banger that is more faithful to his Nigerian roots. I was able to hear an early release of “Amazing 432” and my first impression was “Hmm, another one with a more afrobeat flow.” First some background.
I consider myself privileged to hear Ayotemi’s work, some of which haven’t been released widely. I absolutely love the fact that he can give better-known R&B artists a run for their money. His music has delved into traditional genres such as reggae, soul, and R&B but has always called out the fact that Ayotemi likely thinks in an American accent and his music has generally shown American sensibilities.
Not this time. Ayotemi shows that he can dig deep and let his Nigerian roots come out to play. And play it does. “Amazing 432” is infectious and you can actually hear Ayotemi having fun making this track. You know for sure that this is a son of the soil giving us what any Nigerian will recognize and groove to.
While the genre is unmistakable as Afrobeats, you hear original motifs, beats, and accompanying music that is also just as American as it is African. It’s a perfect blend of sources that should appeal to everyone on both sides of the ocean.
My favorite part of Ayotemi’s work had always been his soulful voice and his choice of sweet melodies. So, Amazing 432’s melody didn’t immediately hook me as much as the beat and his playful inflections. However, each successive listen has been better than the last as I hear more layers of music and more nuanced use of artifacts and effects.
Ayotemi also does an awesome job harmonizing his own vocals. Usually, one-man orchestras, while quite amazing (no pun intended), usually suffer from a lack of richness and heterogeneity that various shapes and sizes of vocal cords and genders can bring. Not so with Ayotemi’s work. The additional voices are done deliberately with a lot of care and thoughtfulness to pitch, intensity, timbre, and subtle use of effects.
The only drawback I expect to hear from critics is the fact that Ayotemi’s playful inflections render some of his words a tad unintelligible. For someone like me who is here mainly for the beat, melodies, and harmonies, that’s hardly noticeable as a drawback.
So please kick back and allow this amazing (pun intended) groove to take you places.
