EP Review: Sugarcane- Tiwa Savage

They don’t make ‘em shorter or sweeter than Sugarcane, Tiwa Savage’s surprise six track EP from last year.

Coming on the heels of the successful full-length albums, Once Upon a Time from 2013 and 2015’s RED, two different sonic experiences that detailed the range of her growth and artistic development, Tiwa Savage appears to have found her voice- and niche- with the brevity of Sugarcane.

Once Upon a Time was all over the place as a then debuting Tiwa Savage hadn’t figured out who exactly she was selling her goods to. Everyone was expected to come along for the ride and the result was a hot, pink mess. By the time she made RED, success had gifted the Kele Kele Lovesinger with the confidence of divas.

The record was more focused but a lot less ambitious. Sugarcane is a stop gap in what is no doubt going to be a long and interesting career and Savage this time, knows exactly what she wants to do.

The lead single, All Over, indeed one of the biggest of Ms Savage’s career, and one of the most accessible pop hits of 2017 gives all the clue about the purpose of Sugarcane. On All Over, Ms Savage layers her sultry vocals promising love and seduction atop a ridiculously generous beat provided by Mavins in-house talent, Baby Fresh. All Over has one purpose only, besides serving as another glittering stone on Savage’s crown. It is an unmistakable call to the dance floor. The lyrics are on the watery side but this is pop music not rocket science.

It is about the same formula that Ms Savage employs for the title track that also opens the EP. Like some of the most pleasurable songs from Savage’s oeuvre, Sugarcane is fun, fast and filthy. It is exactly what you are thinking and yes it is so delicious you will be asking for second rounds, and thirds. Ma Lo is the Spellz produced Wizkid duet that foreshadowed what may well be the year’s most torrid romance and the touch-yourself sultriness of Get it Now has since been highlighted by an Omarion assisted remix.

So what is left of Sugarcane besides these big numbers?

Not much actually, but even this is mostly because of the record’s short running time. Sugarcaneknows when to quit, but not before throwing up other goodies like the Maleek Berry assisted Me and You, as well as Hold Me Down, a sort of mirror image of Get It Now.

Removed from the burden of delivering big time, Tiwa Savage appears to be enjoying herself fully for the first time on Sugarcane and she wants you to take a bite. Juicy stuff.