Celia: Tiwa Savage taps Davido for Afropop gold

The culprit: track seven of the LP –  a delightful Davido–assisted love song titled ‘Park Well’ that, no matter how many times it comes up against the skip button (in this reviewer’s experience at least ), has triumphed.

Herein lie the components of Tiwa’s sorcery and musical youth: 40, but only on her birth certificate, the singer combines delicate vocal majesty with gentle, sure rhythm. The result – as she has habitually shown on her previous offerings – is pure Afropop gold: sweetness that takes hold of your mind for as long as it wants. In other words, Tiwa’s reign as the 'Queen of Afrobeats” will be long.

‘Park Well' is produced by Speroach Beatz, the man behind a number of Davido staples. It is anchored in emotional yearning and aching horn and guitar placements.

It makes perfect sense to cite 'Celia’s Song' as the quiet centre of Tiwa’s new album. And why not? It is an angelic hymn of strength and gratitude that perfectly brings the intention of the project into full perspective. The woman after whom both that song and the album are named is the singer’s mother. The LP is a tribute to her strength and resilience, says Tiwa. “She embodies everything that this album is … she still values her culture and her upbringing, but she’s also well-travelled, so it’s blending those two worlds. I want every woman that listens to this to feel attached and connect to it.”

Back to ‘Park Well’. Previewing songs on Celia during a Zoom listening session ahead of the album’s release, Tiwa mentioned that her favourite Davido songs are those on which he treats the subject of affection. You may be excused to have read it then as clever salesmanship. Take a listen to the song and you can’t help but nod in agreement. You also get the sense that she’s speaking about herself, as she too is at her best on love songs.

Speaking of love songs (and one last point about the Davido collaboration), as far as they go, ‘Park Well' is likely Tiwa’s best,  and that’s saying a lot considering the singer’s previous work. Even on Celia, songs alluding to love are heavily represented, among them ‘Attention,’ ‘Temptation,’ the uber personal ‘Us', and 'Pakalamisi’.

Still, decades on, when initial euphoria has settled and Tiwa’s catalogue is revisited, Celia will be cited very early, and ‘Park Well’ – defined by seamless execution and punctuated with emotional charm, hopeful lyrical dosage and an overall aural splendour (the same tune on which Davido famously proclaims “we don build love wey distance no fit corrupt”) – will have a lot to do with it.

Celia opens with ‘Save My Life’, a song that, like track seven, combines the singer’s resounding vocal prowess with a tempo that invites dance. The percussive ‘Ole’ follows, on which Tiwa exchanges perspectives on the crime of not paying one’s debts. On ‘Bombay' Tiwa enlists fellow Nigeria hook expert Dice Ailes and British dancehall singer Stefflon Don for a sultry celebration of the female derrière.

Over the years, Tiwa Savage has proven to be an effectual songwriter, summoning the appropriate emotions for every song. And so, if somehow you do make it past ‘Park Well’, there’s the heart-wrenching ‘Us’, on which she addresses the breakdown of her marriage, the daring social commentary on ‘Koroba' and the ambient ‘Dangerous Love’. More affection music that promises everlasting durability.

Listen to Celia here.

Artist: Tiwa Savage
Album: Celia
Year: 2020
Label: Motown/UMG