Before delving into the review of Adekunle Gold’s fifth studio album; Tequila Ever After, let’s take a look at his evolution. Shall we?
Adekunle Gold initially gained attention as the photoshop guy who inserted himself into pictures with the likes of Queen Bey and Rihanna. He then broke out with his hit track, “Sade,” and became popularly known as the artist who who wore his Adire proudly, sang indegenious urban high life songs and was constantly in tune with his roots and culture. Little wonder our parents were huge fans of his music. From Sade, to My Life and Orente. All hits and no misses. This led to him getting signed by Olamide to YBNL.
I like to think that the evolution of the Ire singer started manifesting from his sophomore studio album; About 30, as Call On Me and Delilah had the perfect balance of Pop and Afrobeats. By the time, Afro Pop Vol 1 rolled in (One of my favourite projects during the lockdown), it subtly marked the start of AG baby’s evolution. This progression gave birth to his current style, image and aesthetics.
From Afro Pop Vol 1, to Catch Me If You Can, and Tequila Ever After, his production and engineering has been intentional in such a way that he’s always been unapologetically ready for stardom.
From photoshopping himself swinging on an electric pole, to selling out his Catch Me If You Can tour, throughout his evolution, one factor has always been constant; intentionality.
Tequila Ever After
The concept of Tequila Ever After was born in 2022 when AG was in the studio and received some sad news. Someone offered him tequila, and after having it for the first time, his mood changed dramatically. He felt uplifted and happy, and that studio session ended on a high note.
Tequila Ever After opens with Chasing Peace of Mind, featuring Ami Faku and Habib Koite, setting the tone for the album’s overall theme of good vibes and peace of mind. Adekunle Gold has always excelled at singing about the simple aspects of life, such as finding peace of mind, falling in love, embracing individuality, and recognizing hard work as a key to success.
Soro and Tio Baby are instant hits that might seem like your favorites at first listen, but as you explore further, you discover equally exceptional tracks. Heck, even better. Tio Tequila aka Spicy Margarita creates the perfect party vibe. Party No Dey Stop with Zinoleesky was one of the best songs of 2021-2022, and tracks like Ogaranya and Omo Eko will make you leave your seat and dance along. From begging God to ,Pick Up his call in 2016, he sings on Ogaranya that the work of God is marvellous in his life: “God wey do am for me go do am for you”.
Adekunle Gold’s choices were deliberate.
From the exploration of different genres, to the album title, and the collaborations with artists who have dedicated fanbases and distinctive styles, ensuring a perfect balance and avoiding overshadowing each other.
Tequila Ever After explores different aspect and range of Tio Tequila from Amapiano, to dancehall, R&B and Afro-Fusion. Don’t Be A Baby produced by Kel P is particularly intriguing because in this market, you don’t hear similar sounds anymore as everyone has found their niche in the current big thing which is perfectly okay. This further solidifies him as an artist in his own zone, who doesn’t chase trends. Be authentically you, and see how brightly you will shine.
With Tequila Ever After, it’s evident that Tio Tequila is exploring a new market. With Sisi Ganja, Come Back To Me featuring Khalid and Make It Easy with Coco Jones, Adekunle Gold expands his horizons by combinining local and foreign sounds while portraying the right balance of satisfying his current audience and tapping into a new market.
Standout track, Look What You Made Me Do,” featuring Simi, showcases the couple’s incredible talent and chemistry. The vocals, songwriting, and production are top-notch. It’s the couple’s first song together in five years.
Falling Up arguably stands as the best song on the album. The fusion of highlife, pop, and indigenous sounds, along with Pharell Williams‘ legendary Four-Count start and the choir, highlight Adekunle Gold‘s resilience in overcoming challenges. Despite facing setbacks like sickle cell and label issues during the lockdown, Adekunle Gold demonstrates that no one else has the power to hold him back but himself.
Falling Up has every potential of a FIFA World Cup soundtrack from the to the fusion of the choir and clapping, lyrics, tempo and rhythm. He really did a thing with the song arrangement and saving the best couple of songs for the last, Falling Up, To My Own featuring Labyrinth and All My Life.
Adekunle Gold solidifies his place as a trendsetter with Tequila Ever After and he’s the perfect cameo of branding and evolving in the African music industry. In his recent interview with NATIVE, he mentioned how pop writing was incredibly hard for him when he decided to move out of his comfort zone; highlife. Consistency and willingness to grow has brought him right where he is.
A crucial lesson from AG’s journey is that artists, like all individuals, should embrace change and growth, avoiding the trap of releasing the same sound repeatedly. More importantly, never chase trends. Believe in yourself and push your work. Eventually, the rest of the world will fall in place.
Tequila Ever After combines local and foreign sounds, while chasing commercial success and critical quality acclaim.
It’s Tequila szn, y’all. Make sure to have a shot for AG baby!n
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