A review of Teni's 'Tears of the Sun' by Afrobeats star Teni

While Teni shares her pain and airs her feelings on 'Tears of the Sun', the music doesn't carry the same clear sense of direction.

Teni carved out a niche for herself in Nigeria's Pop music framework through her ability to make easily enjoyable music that appeals to all cadres of listeners.

It's these party-starting Afropop cuts that carry a significant portion of her Yoruba heritage that propelled her mainstream success and made her a fan favourite.

In the past year, Teni has seen both personal and artistic changes with her music becoming more experimental and less driven by the Yoruba "gbedu' underlining marker that drives her sound.

She ventured into Amapiano with 'Maitama' before going in a different direction with the Jersey-styled record 'No Days Off' before offering familiar sounds with 'Lanke' and 'Malaika' through Afropop and Folk explorations. And while these releases show her range, they don't help her course in securing the consistent run needed to spark a moment as Teni seems to take a sonic 180 any time she gets the attention of listeners.

It's this lack of clarity regarding her artistic direction or perhaps the lack thereof that led up to the album release and whose manifestation stunts its quality.

Teni's personality and imagery have always generated speculations over her sexuality and while attentive listeners would have spotted her sexual preference in her music where she leaves hints, she addresses it head-on in 'Tears of the Sun'. On the opening record, 'Young Black Girl From Africa' Teni sets the record straight by making it clear that she refuses to be judged for her sexual preferences and personality. She declares she's chasing the rainbow which pretty much is a bold answer to all questions and speculations.

On this album, Teni elected to offer parts of herself she had previously kept hidden. Her soft vocals in the R&B cut 'Capricorn & Taurus' where she talks about taboo love and on 'Holy Matrimony' where she deploys Log drum to craft a wedding song for a Cinderella in what is another pointer to all those who care to spot it.

She addresses personal loss in 'Apata' where she crafts a tribute to her late father whom she lost at a tender age. Her glowing remarks for her father highlight a pain of loss she might have battled with for most of her life and how she has navigated that pain without quite sharing.

However, while her exploration of personal desires, loss, and pain offers some thematic direction, the songs that make up the album offer no artistic direction or coherence.

Like the preceding singles that led up to the album, 'Tears of the Sun' has an erratic arrangement with the songs jerking listeners from one genre to another without retaining a compelling run of songs.

Teni seems to just be recording different songs that show the different sides of her talent without paying attention to how to sonically tie them together to create an experience. She features Afrobeat maestro Made Kuti on the House record 'Ino', explores Pop rap in Jersey in 'No Days Off', she secured a forgettable ODUMODUBLVCK verse on the Swing record 'Devil's Dance' before switching to Folk in the gospel leaning 'Malaika'. This run of four songs exemplifies the directionless nature of the track sequencing.

She names one of the better songs on the album after Ivorian football legend Yahya Toure for no particular reason on a Garage track where she predominantly deploys Yoruba to thump her chest while referencing Pop culture icons Micheal Jackson & Cristiano Ronaldo. The song, like the fake tracklist that preceded her album release, feels like a gimmick to get attention.

The great moments on the album are few and far between like the Pop cut 'Popo', the curiously titled 'Yahya Toure', Made Kuti's dazzling horns on 'Ino', and her partnership with TayC on the captivating 'Mecredi'.

While 'Tears of the Sun' carry strikingly personal themes, the songs fail to stick together for a compelling listening experience nor does it pack the excitement required to spark the moment needed to recreate her electrifying mainstream run.

The moments that led up to the album offered no clarity as to the type of music Teni wants to make and the way she aims to fit into the current Afrobeats soundscape. The album doesn't help either so the wait continues.

Ratings: /10

• 0-1.9: Flop

• 2.0-3.9: Near fall

• 4.0-5.9: Average

• 6.0-7.9: Victory

• 8.0-10: Champion

Pulse Rating: /10

Album Sequencing: 1/2

Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.3/2

Production: 1.5/2

Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.4/2

Execution: 1.3/2

TOTAL - 6.5 - Victory