Review: Crazy Tings are happening to Tems

21 oct 2021 - 16:01

The genius of Tems’ sound is that she boasts a singular vocal bend that allows her to wheel between deep and high tones with shocking ease. It can be puzzling at first – swathed in echoes of something either grim or idyllic. Is it not the musician herself who sang “my voice is a mystery” on her ‘Replay’ track?

Tems.

And yet, Tems’ voice also boasts a magnetic quality that has now allowed her a seat at the table. Her rapid rise has partly been accelerated by auspicious collaborations, most notably with fellow Nigerian Wizkid and his platinum-certified summer hit ‘Essence’. But it’s her unlikely explorations of R&B, Afrobeats and soul (aka alté) that have secured her crucial global notice in a time when African pop has become the toast of the world. Her unique sonic takes have earned her the audience of international stars like Chris Brown and Drake, who features Tems on his latest album Certified Lover Boy.

To borrow the title of her just-released single off her EP If Orange Was A Place, ‘crazy tings’ are happening to Tems. The record itself is straightforward – a dreamy three-minute soliloquy about a failing relationship that the singer says was “inspired by the crazy, amazing things that have been going on in my life, and it was made in Ghana.”

She sings:

All you do is lie and lie and lie
All you do is try and try and try
You don’t even know the kind of things
But you try to tell me all these things
But don’t you see
You’re not everything
And I know you’re not the one for me.

She resolves that she “can do better” but also concedes that it is not an easy thing to do. Often, where love is involved, the truth comes second to emotions. Crazy things are happening.

Co-written with Ronald ‘GuiltyBeatz’ Banful, who also produced the record, ‘Crazy Tings’ is chauffeured by breezy keys, funky guitars and a bouncy groove, which are quintessential Afro-fusion. “The beat was played to me by GuiltyBeatz and I was surrounded by orange light and alcohol,” Tems recalls. “The vibes just flowed in afterwards.”

Pandemic R&B is themed around concepts of gloom. Like much of If Orange Was A Place, ‘Crazy Tings’ caters to love, albeit the not-so-perfect moments. There’s something about Tem’s voice: a raspy loneliness and overall wounded air that convey sad love songs with troubling sharpness and relatability.

Lyrically, the song may convey a thick sense of emotional confusion. Its video, in contrast, portrays the singer as one who has repossessed herself from the blues. With pep in her step and a smile on her face, she navigates the confusion around her, which expands to include various other forms of social pressure. The video climaxes with Tems front-and-centre at a nightclub, jamming her worries away. Once she’s had enough, she dances her way out, as if to say, “You’re all you’ve got at the end of the day”.

Tems is behind just two EPs – the other being For Broken Ears – and it may be premature to say that she is at the height of her powers. Judging by what an incredible run the singer has had in the past couple of years, there should be little debate that she is well on her way.

Listen to If Orange Was A Place here.