After making a statement with his 2022 Catch Me If You Can album which proves he carries the soul of a runner that understands the journey is a marathon, Adekunle Gold diversifies his CV and goes into the “tequila business”. Since he had his first shot of tequila last year, AG has been on a new level, collaborating with music legends like Pharrell Williams, Niles Rodgers and experimenting musically outside of his comfort zone, working to give his audience something fresh and thrilling.
AG realises to run to a non-stop party, he has to make sure the booze keeps flowing.
So he called on Marlian Records’ life of the party, Zinoleesky, for a feature in March, 2023. As a savvy businessman, he rolled out his new product, Tio Tequila, a three-song pack single in May, 2023.
As Tio Tequila received positive nods and worldwide acceptance, AG Baby followed up with Ogaranya in July, while planning to throw the biggest (tequila) party of the year themed Tequila Ever After, in the same month.
At 12 a.m. on July 28, 2023, the T.E.A party began. On the first track, Chasing Peace of Mind, he gives us a scoop on his personal life; he’s now in therapy, and he also smokes, though he already gave us this gist on the 2021 Davido-assisted High.
Chasing Peace of Mind also features Malian singer Habib Koité and South African artist Ami Faku. No surprises that the production blends Mali’s desert blues and S.A’s amapiano with our highlife.
Tio Tequila is a fun businessman, which explains why track two is Party No Dey Stop. Also, if you’re observant, you can already tell this record is the theme song of the album. On the next song, Soro, produced by Kel-P, the message is simple; he wants communication and intimacy. The fourth song is Tio Baby, a confession to his lover, with a little bit of flex about his life in the limelight. Call me corny if you like, but I caught the subtle compliment to his wife in the second verse opener: “When they see me (Simi), everybody wants a picture.”
Ogaranya plays next, and he talks about the sweet feeling of happiness, wealth and being on a better level.
On the sixth song Adekunle Gold tells us he’s the Wrong Person to mess with. It’s a catchy one, cemented with an aggressive verse from OdumoduBlvck, who’s been called out for his anti-women stance.
The seventh track shares the same energy. Don’t Be A Baby
Do You Mind is the eighth track and switches the “I no dey look Uche face” energy. He’s back to focusing on his babe and her body. Tio Tequila, still not getting enough of his babe, continues on Sisi Ganja to give her all the lovey-dovey lambas. I suspect this song is a double entendre for AG reminding us that he does 420 now.
Next is the Coco Jones-assisted record Make It Easy — a sensual afropop jam. If you’re wondering why this married man said, “I no wan love, I am focused,” he’s speaking for those on the streets and tired of the talking stage. Maintaining the same soundscape, the eleventh track Not My Problem builds on the previous track. It’s not his problem if you catch feelings. He warned you, didn’t he?
The next track, Kere, segues to afro-highlife. He brags that his peers imitate his style, and he has been hot since his 2015 breakout hit, Sade. Is AG Baby your mate?
Last time he was on wax with his wife and singer Simi, was on her 2022 album titled TBH (To Be Honest). Hearing them together again on Look What You Made Me Do feels like the best duet since Tunde and Wunmi Obe.
Omo Eko plays next to keep the tequila party going. American singer, Khalid, joins Adekunle Gold on Come Back To Me, a song that begs a lover to return. The sixteenth song on T.E.A. is Falling Up, one that fuses electronic music with pop. Aside from the flex that AG is trying on a different genre, the song features Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers. Second to the last track is To My Own, where Tio Baby and an uncredited artist are laid-back, and according to them, dancing to the beat of their own drums. Tequila Ever After album ends with its eighteenth track All My Life — a romantic song directed at his lover.
Final thoughts
In almost fifty-one minutes, Adekunle Gold takes us on a fun, party-rocking experience. Tequila Ever After is a continued deviation from his earlier indie and highlife sounds. It’s a feel-good album that experiments with afrobeats and EDM, with a sprinkle of amapiano and solid songwriting skills.
In his current life chapter, Adekunle Gold a.k.a Tio Tequila enjoys himself to the max as he reaches new heights of superstardom.
