Summer Breeze by Tay Iwar

BACKGROUND

Alté is one of the most unique and underrated sounds of Africa. If you are familiar with it, consider yourself lucky. If you aren’t, let me introduce you to one of the best Alté artists, Austin Iwar Jr, known as Tay Iwar. He has been in the industry for almost a decade. He is an amazing artist, producer, and songwriter. He kinda reminds me of IDK, albeit an African version. Tay is a jack of many trades when it comes to music. His music is deeply rooted in several genres, including RnB, Afrobeats, and Afro-Fusion. I don’t think he is as appreciated as he should be. He has collabs artistes such as Wizkid, Juls, and IDK. He recently dropped Summer Breeze, a 20-minute afro-fusion album featuring Juls, IDK, Knucks, and other great artists. Without taking up more of your time, let’s delve into it. 

SUMMER BREEZE  

I believe he couldn’t have picked a better name for this album. It’s such a refreshing listen. On my first listen, I was so in the mood that I didn’t even realize I had reached the last song. It embodies afro summer very well. 8 amazing songs which were all written and performed by the man himself. 6 out of the 8 songs were also produced by him. But I did have one problem with it, it’s too short. 

UNDERCOVER LOVER 

The intro to the album was perfect. A love song or a song about a sneaky link. could fit for both. The beat and singing were so soothing. Both performances from Tay Iwar and Twelve XII were amazing; you could hardly tell between them at some points. The fused voices for the chorus were a nice touch. An impressive song overall. 

SUMMER BREEZE  

You know when you hear ‘Juls' at the beginning of any song, it’s gonna slap. This is a classic neo-soul song fused with African elements. Honestly, I think the production overshadowed the performance of this song. Still a good song, though. The beat is so intricate that you’d hardly focus on the lyrics until the latter part of the song. This is the definition of an afro summer song on the album. 

HEALING  

One of my faves from the album. The singing on this was so good. Although the production was amazing, the performance was even better. Tay Iwar’s rapping was short but hitting, especially if you relate. My favourite part of the song was the hook. It sounded very, very good. The backing vocals for it were perfect. I was really impressed on my first listen. 

JUICE  

Knucks is too smooth with it, man. Another fave, objectively the best song on the album. The feature, Knucks, carried this song, but Tay’s verse was still great. Knucks came in so smoothly, did his thing, and left, all within 40 seconds. This hip-hop/ Grime addition spiced up the album even more for me. I loved it. 

BON APPETITE  

Perfect song title because Tay and IDK really cooked with this song. This song had my favourite beat on the album. The song is both calm and hyped. I can’t even wrap my head around exactly what genre this song is. Amazing performance from both artists. Play this song on the Aux for maximum enjoyment. 

DON’T LIE  

This one’s for the summertime sadness. A heartbreak song that even sounds so calming. It reminds me of a Melvitto song. The production of this song was so good, one of the best on the album. I think this will be the biggest song from this album because of how relatable it is. This is the only other song that wasn’t produced by Tay. Tay’s singing peaked on this song. 

BROKEN PROMISES  

Tay Iwar used so many melodies on this project that sometimes you’d think it’s someone else. That’s one thing I love about this album. Another relatable love song, with Kojey Radical’s amazing voice. His singing and rapping were superb. This is another song where I feel the feature carried, but the main artiste still had an amazing verse. So far, this is my favourite album, everything considered.

 

SOUL SEARCHING  

The beginning of this song reminded me of Trap Rema for some reason. The beat has some trap elements but is fused with afrobeat. This is such a feel-good song with a beautiful chorus. An amazing way to end this beautiful project. The second verse was much better than the first, and I think it’s one of the highest highs on the album. Immaculate outro. 

SUMMARY  

Tay Iwar is one of the best when it comes to Afro-fusion. Being one of the forerunners of Alté, I think he should be more recognized than he is. His sound keeps evolving, and I can’t wait for his next projects. The way he manages to fuse different genres to make beautiful melodies is amazing. The album exceeded my expectations and is already one of my favourites from Africa this year. Tap into this beauty and feel the summer breeze.  

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