Toya Delazy
Ascension (Sony Music)
Breakdown: She took over the South African music industry with her debut album ‘Due Drop’ and sold over 20 000 copies of the record which included smash hit singles such as ‘Love Is In The Air’, ‘Pump It On’ and ‘Heart’. Now, she is back with a more urban feel as she releases her highly anticipated second studio album ‘Ascension’. This time around, Toya ditched superstar producer Jax Panik and is exploring new avenues and sounds.
How Many Good Tracks: 8 of the 12.
What I Liked: There is just something upbeat and fun about Toya’s music. The album eases us in to her new sound with a calm, acoustic track ‘In My Head’ and the track, along with the rest of the songs on the album, tells a story beautifully and that’s something no one can take from Toya – her songwriting. Toya has definitely grown since her last album and it’s very clear on this record. Many of the songs are more polished and since she doesn’t have the production of Jax Panik to lift her songs, she needs to do it on her own and I think she succeeded.
What I Didn’t Like: Toya has clearly been experimenting with different sounds on this album and to be honest, it comes across as quite confusing at times. I think she effed up big time released ‘Forbidden Fruit’ as the debut single off the album as it is not an indication of what the album sounds like and it’s quite a drastic change from the music we know and love from her. Also, some of the tracks are really REALLY overproduced and I know so many artists do it, but it puts a damper on the project.
Best Track: Don’t Know You Like That
Rating: 4/5
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