Estelle Clifford: Music reviewer on Tems' new album 'Born in the Wild'

Estelle Clifford reviews Born in the Wild by Tems. 

Tems self-produced much of the LP alongside GuityBeatz, the Ghanaian Afropop DJ behind her 2021 EP If Orange Was a Place.  

It’s been praised by Pitchfork for its “Polyrhythmic soundscape, adorned with the earthy tones of conga drums, wind chimes, and shekere rattles, provides a counterweight to the homogenized sound of contemporary Afropop.” 

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford told Jack Tame “This is her growth on something that’s a universal attraction with afrobeats.” 

Clifford says “She’s worked behind the scenes, but now her wn stuff is taking the forefront.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be Gods, just Sody Barmby.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
If you know around mining how we say early money
round Burning, Burning.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
By Berney. This is cool. Ah. That song is called burning,
it's by Times. She's just released a new album called
Born in the Wild, and our music review at Stelle

(00:55):
Clifford's been listening, Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Good morning. Actually my favorite song off the whole album
that song Burner, is it?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah? And this is something about people who do that
are in soul, I guess kind of sounds and their voices,
but also the songs they choose to perform. I just
I just think they're really cool. People like I'm like
she's I think she's really cool. And that song in
particular is about that whole you know, when you're aiming
for things in life and you feel like you're sort

(01:25):
of like, oh, this might all just disappear on me,
but actually everyone's got their own inner battles in a turmoil,
and she's kind of reflecting on some of the stuff
that she's been through. But also because it's such a
pretty song, you don't necessarily have to delve into the depth,
too much of that kind of thing that's going on, which, yeah,
this is a really great album. She's actually a new
artist to me. Unbeknownst, I had probably heard a couple

(01:47):
of her things, but I didn't realize because a lot
of how she's been thrown into the limelight is her collaborations.
And really early on it was with hang On Name
whiz Kid. There was a song that she featured on
with that artist that sort of had a polted her
onto the Billboard charts, and then suddenly other collaborations from there,

(02:11):
like she is one of the performers of a song off. Okay,
now I've got to think of the name of the
movie I can do this.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yeah, Okay, I would go, yeah, yeah, it's.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
A really big movie and it's just fallen off. But anyway,
it's meant that she's ended up doing songs with Rihanna,
you know, like people like that. Here we go.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Okay, I talked about that Earliers. I shouldn't have needed
to google it.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Is it Blake Panther? Okay, now I'm now I'm like,
is that now I'm down in myself? No, she was
was Wakanda. That's that she did a cover of Bob Mouley, Yeah,
and from the like Yeah. So there was a song
that Rihanna is on in the same movie. She's part
of that writing team and she performed vocally on that.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
So she's worked.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Behind the scenes or sort of there, but you know,
like that thing with suddenly her own stuff is now
taking the forefront, which is awesome. She's been at Coach Sheller,
so she's had a real good showcase of showing off
what she does ahead of this album coming out, and
I just really love it. I love that change up
of that sort of afro beats kind of sound that
you get from her. I don't think that she's made

(03:19):
the production to heavy either, Like I think her voice
still stands out above that. Also in that kind of
R and B sort of soul groovery're kind of way
where there's those little talkie interludes, you know, like like
her mum or a manager or someone talking about what's
going to happen with her and how her career is
going to go and people's opinions of her. I don't

(03:40):
know if it necessarily makes the album, but I think
for me it makes me learn her journey and I
kind of like that when I probably haven't, you know,
been with her right from the get go. Also, the
album makes me feel happy, which is interesting when there's
sort of some melancholy on here and you know, there's
the pressures of becoming famous in her pre famed life

(04:01):
and some of the darkness there. Yet overall you sort
of feel this positive sound from the music. It's always
a weird sort of place to be when you say
an album made you happy. But she's probably reflecting on
some of the dark stuff. But it's the music that
she's put along with that that I think sort of
helps that. Born in the wild, this album has made

(04:22):
history the most streamed album by a Nigerian female artist
in a single day on Spotify eight million streams Wow
in one day when it first came out.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
So good. So I reckon she's going to be the
first of me and she's.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Delving into that like that's what she wants to represent.
So I think for her, this is her growth on
something that's kind of a universal attraction in afrobeat kind
of place with their R and B bass. But I
wouldn't be surprised if she pushes the boundaries with that
in regards to being a Nigerian artist, and I love
that it's got those real earthy tones. The conger drums
come in, there's some wind shimes, there's some rattle sort

(05:01):
of sounds that you're hearing that that comes from her foundation,
and I you know, like you almost want that to
be pushed more, and I think it will come. But
then those real rhythmic, catchy melodies from someone who is
a singer, songwriter slash producer herself, you know, yeah, and
this tone of her voice, there's just something I really

(05:22):
love about that. Often when listening to an album for
the first time, I sort of it's like meditation. You know,
your mind wanders and you're like, gotta listen to this album.
But then you sort of wander and you come in
and out and I think it's a great album for
doing that. And then a few more listens and it
kind of grows on you. In regards to lyrically, perhaps

(05:42):
what she's painting a picture with, which for me means
an album has, you know, quite a lot of bit
of longevity. If the melodies can catch you first and
the music and things like that, I think it's really great.
But in nineties kind of sound in there as well.
I think this is a song you're gonna play in
a but Love me Gg first single off the album,

(06:03):
to tease, it came from a jam session with some
friends we are. One of them sampled another Nigerian star.
He's called mister GG or C. I'm not sure how
to say his surname. Sorry. I think it's one of
those mister G that's sampled in her version of Love
me Gg as well. So it does have that throwback

(06:25):
comfortable nineties R and B sort have sounded beout it
and it's really cool cool.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Okay, what'd you give it?

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Just more, just more layers of cool.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Eight out of ten out of ten. Very good. Yeah,
I'm looking forward to listen to this too. I've heard
a couple of Tames songs and really just like that sound.
So looking forward to listening to Born in the Wild
and we'll get that love me Gg song. I'm glad
you said gg because it's it's spelled j E j
E and I wasn't totally sure how to pronounce it.
So you have done the hard work for me on
that front. Roll yeah, exactly, pleasure doubt say it fast

(06:55):
the old broadcasting trick. We'll be back in a couple
of minutes with one of those songs from Teams for
You eight out of ten. Estelle reckons her new album,
Born in the Yilder's Worth, It's eight to twelve.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
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