‘Work Of Art’: An Inner Reflection of Asake.

The 2022 breakout star Asake, continues his unprecedented run in the Afrobeats and African music space with the release of his sophomore album barely 9 months after dropping his debut album. His new album, ‘Work Of Art,’ is out now in a bid to cement his name as one of the stalwarts in Afrobeats.

Though it might seem to onlookers as an unprecedented run, for those in the YBNL camp, it’s just business as usual. His label boss Olamide has 10 solo studio albums to his name in a space of ten years, with a new one arriving in August this year, while his label mate Fireboy DML has 3 solo studio albums in a space of 4 years. This proves that the work rate in the camp is always on a hundred.

‘Work Of Art’ is a 14-track offering that sees Asake sing about everything from love, to his invincibility. The album’s cover art and name mimicks infamous American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat; which explains why Asake looks inward this time around than fully giving out the ultimate party experience he’s known for. Let’s get into a track-by-track breakdown of this body of work.

The album kicks off with ‘Olorun,’ a reflective track that is carried for the most part by a violin and piano solo laced with an all female Choral number. ‘Olorun’ loosely translates as “the ruler of the heavens” in the Yoruba language so its only right Asake is heard imploring God on the song. A very safe and ideal way to kick off a project of this calibre.

Asake continues with the concentrated use of the Yoruba language on track 2. On ‘Awodi,’ he sticks to the reflective mood by giving thanks to God for blessing him with success from 2022 up until now.

“Mr. Money With The Vibe” makes a brief appearance  on track 3 with ‘2:30.’ This was the second single released off the project and it sees Asake go back to who he was on his debut album; delivering a performance capable to bring everyone to the dancefloor.

On track 4 we are back to Asake 2.0. The production on this song sounds as bright as what the title connotes; ‘Sunshine.’ The message on this song is like a double-edged sword. Asake sings about what God has done for him as a testimony and uses his recent life experiences as a symbol of hope.

Next up is ‘Mogbe,’ which comes in as the fifth track. Asake uses both “Mogbe” and “Modaran” interchangeably on the song. “Mogbe” in Yoruba means “small trouble” or “anxiety,” while “Modaran” means “big trouble.” He probably might be establishing a relationship between how anxiety could lead to complicating life’s trivial matters.

Next up is ‘Basquiat,’ which speaks to the very essence of this entire album. The song named after the one who inspired this album is as thematic as what the famed American artist communicated. Just like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Asake sings about how quality and insane his work ethic has been ever since debuting unto the scene, and most importantly, his rags to riches story.

He keeps up the tempo on track 8 which bears the lone feature on the album. Aptly named after the genre dominating African parties worldwide, the Olamide assisted ‘Amapiano’ served as one of the singles that paved way for the album. Asake is his usual witty and fun self in a bid to soundtrack memorable times in people’s lives.

‘What’s Up My G’ on the other hand is a smooth serenading number that sees Asake brag a bit about the kind of social capital he has now. It’s quite on brand for him to tow such a line with his newfound fame.

There’s something about track 9, ‘I Believe.’ It carries that type of feeling you get when it seems you’ve heard a certain new song before. Only issue I have with this particular song is how short it is. I feel Asake could’ve gotten a lot more out of it.

Then to track 10, ‘Introduction.’ Why do I feel like this should’ve been track 1 instead? The track’s theme best communicates the thematic approach of the album; Asake showing us a different artistic side. It would’ve been good to orient listeners with this at the start of the album.

Moving on to track 11, we have ‘Remember.’ This would have to be the most well put together song on the album. The chorus’ melody is very unique, the verses, the bridge, the horns, the log drums; are just perfect!

At this point, things are beginning to simmer down on the album. The production and vocal tone for ‘Lonely At The Top’ is vastly different from what Asake is known for. It is ideal for capturing the emotions behind Asake recounting the banes of his newfound success and what keeps him motivated.

Penultimately, ‘Great Guy’ comes in next to stick to the same thematic approach of the previous song, but sees Asake go back to default settings when it comes to vocal tone and production.

The transition that occurs between ‘Great Guy’ and ‘Yoga’ courtesy the sample, flawlessly signals the end of the album. The symbolism present in making a song about and naming it after Yoga is quite clear in its lyrics. It is important Asake brings us in on his need and search for balance in his now fast-paced life.

Asake’s sophomore album is proof that the singer has more to him than what we’ve experienced thus far. He being able to channel his inner Jean-Michel Basquiat to introspectively paint a vivid picture of his new reality is not a light undertaking. If there’s one thing for sure, it is the fact that Asake is here for the long run.

Stream ‘Work Of Art’ on all digital music streaming platforms now!