Asa (Bukola Elemide) needs no introduction after her self-titled debut album caught the world’s attention in 2007. The Paris-born, Nigerian raised singer-songwriter returns with her sophomore album, Beautiful Impefection, which demonstrates an artist who has had time to reflect on and evaluate her previous offering. “The first album reflected my state of mind then. I had a lot to talk about – social and political issues. This time, I felt different: I wanted to create something that would help people come out of sad moods and feel uplifted.” In that regard, Asa succeeds with this eclectic collection of 12 uplifting, soulful sultry tracks, with influences that range from rock to reggae to soul and lyrics in English and Yoruba, her mother tongue. She explores what it means to love, live and have questions about the world we live. From Baby Gone, a love story gone sour to Questions about life, hopes and dreams and society with the powerful query, “Why is there so much religion, yet there is so little love?” Beautiful Impefection is a brilliant album that gets you to sway from side to side with a smile on your face and the songs with Yoruba lyrics will force you to get up and dance a little.
The ‘beautiful imperfection’ of Asa
