Review: Somebody’s Son by Tiwa Savage and Brandy

26 Oct 2021 - 17:52

To paraphrase Frost, two roads diverged in the woods of grief. For her recent genre-melting duet with US R&B star Brandy, Tiwa Savage takes the unlikely route – and that has made all the difference.

Tiwa Savage.

In orbiting the agony that attends fractured romance, ‘Somebody’s Son’, the latest single off Tiwa’s boundless Water and Garri EP, defies a casserole of tropes: There are no more tears, there’s no desire for vengeance, nobody is quivering with scorn or ensnared in violent hysteria. Rather, this redemption song, an undeniable diva anthem, faces forward. It is part of a woman’s desire to be favoured with attention, but surely, these women will not grovel for it – not on this occasion. “This won’t be another heartbreak song,” concludes the track’s pre-hook.

Of course, the above line is more convincing when one looks past the perceived neediness in the chorus it precedes:

Somebody’s son go find me one day (one day)
I don dey wait, don’t stay too far away
Somebody’s son go love me one day (one day)
I don dey wait, don’t stay too far away.

Still, this is an honest picture of one purging herself from a heartbreak: a persistent conflict between steady gushes of hope and longing.

‘Somebody’s Son’ is nestled in groovy Afrobeats that in recent years has come into full global bloom. Jolly drums and rosy harmonies underpin Tiwa and Brandy’s wizened lyrics and sweet vocal work. The song sets about with delicate crooning, climaxing with searing runs over a passionate chorus.

Its international success aside, one could argue that ‘Somebody’s Son’ is not the best demonstration of Tiwa’s vocal sorcery on Water and Garri, which is her most envelope-pushing sonic enterprise. The subtlety on ‘Work Fada’ – a poetic, soulful, folkish, jazzy experiment – elicits nothing short of utter amazement. At least in this reviewer’s view, the flowy, Nas and Rich King-assisted record is the most outstanding track on an outstanding EP.

‘Ade Ori’ pours with piercing guitar riffs and an ultra-fine tone that is somehow both louder than a whisper and causes one to squint and, with his head slightly lifted, trace a high pitch in the sky. ‘Tales by Moonlight’ featuring Ghana’s Amaarae plays with everything from the sound of liquid drops to the choral unison heard on Fela’s Afrobeat. On the saxophone-fused ‘Special Kinda’, Tiwa achieves symbiosis with Tay Iwar. The vocal symbiosis is so seamless that one can hardly tell the artists apart.

Water and Garri’s overall majesty recalls something renowned producer Pharrell Williams said ahead of its release. In April, he previewed the project and lauded its sincerity and edginess: “Anybody that doesn’t get that shouldn’t be listening to music. That’s a classic. And be clear that it’s okay to have a classic. That right there, that’s like boat music, that’s like barbeque music, that’s like self-reflection music”.

‘Somebody’s Son’ attempts to avoid the risk of telling a twice-told tale. It is also a tale of two juggernauts, for the song celebrates the vocal genius of both acts; Tiwa as Afrobeats queen and Brandy as the poster girl for ’90s R&B nostalgia. Over their remarkable careers, the well-remembered voices of the singers, who share mutual admiration, have also burnished a reputation for leaving behind profound feelings with their performances. The evidence of this is apparent in their respective catalogues: five collections for Tiwa and seven for the American.

The song’s crisp accompanying video is alive with melanin youth and celebrates love across the board, making it tenable as a tune for weddings and family reunions alike.