By Chiagoziem Onyekwena
Asa - Beautiful Imperfection
ALBUM TITLE – Beautiful Imperfection
LEAD SINGLE – Be My Man
PRODUCTION – Benjamin Constant
GUEST ARTISTES – n/a
RECORD LABEL/DISTRIBUTION – Naïve Records/Iyke the Don Entertainment
Two years have passed since the release of soul sensation Asa’s self-titled debut album so I guess now is as good a time as ever to raise this question – is Asa (the album this time around) a classic album, in the same league as Sir Shina Peter’s ’89 opus – Ace and 2 Face Idibia’s ’04 debut Face 2 Face or is it simply a very good one that was exalted to that status primarily because of the singer’s effortless class and by virtue of its content being radically different from every other thing on radio at the time? Think about it closely...
Whatever might be the case, you’ll probably agree with me when I say that the problem with getting as close as Asa did to an early climax (locally anyway) is that no matter what you do afterwards and how you do it, that first ‘high’ you experienced with the public will forever be referenced, for better or for worse. So on her second coming, please keep your minds out of the gutter, Franco-Nigerian superstar Asa tries to reach across a more global audience.
Beautiful Imperfection is a 12 song composition that features a more vulnerable Asa, a less withdrawn singer and a more engaging songwriter but one with noticeably less depth in her lyrics. Take this album’s lead single, Be My Man, for instance, a song that features Asa as close to the proverbial edge as she’s ever been; the soft-spoken singer declares, ‘tonight I’m breaking mama’s rules’. With its flirtatious undertones and newfound boldness, the swaggering mid-tempo love ballad might have blindsided Asa’s core fan base but the song’s direction is also indicative of a singer who’s now willing to give more of herself to the listener than ever before. Now, whether intimate songs like these are from a personal standpoint is another matter entirely, but the way Asa puts together the deeply emotive Baby Gone, you could have sworn the dreadlocked singer was narrating a breakup with her lover as it happened right there in the booth. There’s this sincerity in her voice, something that makes you want to trust her; Asa can tell you 2 Pac is still alive and against your better judgement, you’d want to believe her.
Inevitably, parallels will be drawn between Asa’s sparkling debut album and this project, so I might as well be among the first set of people to bring out their pencil. The beautiful synergy between Asa and recently-wedded production partner Cobhams will probably never be replicated but Asa and her new producer Benjamin Constant do vibe well on this album from time to time. The beautifully-crafted Maybe is a jewel and it finds Asa using her words to uplift the listener, urging them to look beyond the present. The album also maintains an equilibrium, so for every lover’s delight you might find like Bamidele, (which wasn’t included on the Nigerian version of the album) there’s a thought-provoking Preacher Man or better still, a motivational Dreamer Girl. As Asa seeks to transform from that girl-next-door with a sweet voice to an urban pop star, it’s comforting to know that her musical core is still very much in tact.
After listening to Beautiful Imperfection, I’ve come to the conclusion that Asa is simply incapable of making a ‘bad song’. But then again, for 10 years of my life I had actually thought a Nigerian was widely regarded to be ‘a Father of the Internet’ (that was up until fraudulent scientist Philip Emeagwali was exposed recently) so I guess Asa still has plenty of time to ‘fall hand’, as they say.
In a similar vein to Emeagwali, i.e. before he was disgraced, Asa seeks to become a new age ambassador for her native country, one with international acclaim and global appeal, only this time, through music. The well-executed Beautiful Imperfection, will not hurt Asa’s progression in the slightest.
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