Tems – ‘Born In The Wild’ album review: soulful, spiritual and self-assured

7 June, 2024

tems

When NME last spoke with Tems in late 2021, amid a flurry of newly-minted accolades, she playfully hinted at a larger project on the horizon. Yet, it wouldn’t arrive for another three years. Following a memorable appearance on Wizkid’s 2020 global smash ‘Essence’, alongside collaborations with Beyoncé, Drake, and Rihanna, the four-year journey to ‘Born In The Wild’ has been shrouded in hype. On the Sade-like standout ‘Boy O Boy,’ Tems reflects on the media pressure she has faced: “It’s all over the news, all over the news / I know this under the sun, trying to find my focus.”

READ MORE: Tems: Afro-R&B’s radiant leader planning a global takeover

On her long-awaited debut, the Lagos-born artist embodies the careful intersection of African music’s rising cultural presence and the diverse array of genres found across her native West African homeland. From Highlife to hip-hop, ‘Born In The Wild’ exemplifies the region’s rich musical diversity via Tems’ fluid approach to genre.

Across 18 tracks, the songwriter and producer shows off the full breadth of her sound, allowing listeners to unravel loose threads of spirituality (‘Me & U’), while offering red-hot Afrobeat gems (‘Turn Me Up,’ ‘Forever’) and percussive ’00s rap throwbacks (‘T-Unit’). On the latter, she channels her inner 50 Cent: “Now my younger self, ready for the war / Take her to the candy shop, she knows she got it all.”

‘Born In The Wild’ also offers a handful of brief, insightful interludes (‘Special Baby Interlude,’ ‘Voices in My Head’) exploring familial ties, which are counterbalanced with themes of rapid, unsteady growth. ‘Wickedest’, meanwhile, positions her atop a funky, infectious groove, and with crystal-clear intonation, Tems sounds as confident as ever.

The lush, simmering fan-favourite ‘Love Me JeJe’ (with JeJe roughly translating to ‘soft’ or ‘gentle’), the Asake-assisted ‘Get It Right,’ and the soulful ‘Ready’ are symbolic of the album’s driving force. While renowned for R&B and Afrobeat, here, Tems displays an ability to meld contrasting sounds and tempos, allowing them to flow and interlock – seamlessly echoing notions of freedom.

Tems closes out the record with ‘You In My Face’ and ‘Hold On’ – a one-two punch of finesse. The former assumes a jazzy, melancholic tone, with Spanish guitar licks and bold affirmations of faith. The latter, meanwhile, is a spacey love letter to growth, reminding listeners of the trial by fire one can undergo in order to achieve personal evolution.