Last year, Töme tethered herself to the pulse of the exciting music coming out of the Nigerian diaspora via Bigger Than 4 Walls, her stunning sophomore album that saw the singer mesh the RnB influences of her youth with the broader rhythmicity of Afrobeats music anchored by lurid songwriting and pulsating beats crafted to match her unique sonic vision. The album’s critical acclaim led to another drop late in the year, a three-song pack titled I Pray that saw the Canada-based singer reflect on the tumultuous nature of 2020, channeling her feelings into emotive tracks. Töme’s work ethic has afforded her several feats and now, ready to share more of her artistry with the world, Töme’s newest project, a five-track EP titled Dreams, sees her combine the afro-fusionist influences of Bigger Than 4 Walls with a glance on the horizon that results in a universalist sound that leans into influences from across the world.
Dreams opens with the track, Let Go, passing a message of hope and letting your past not determine your future with an undeniable, grooving bounce. Followed by Champagne, which has some of the most inventive writing on the project, seeing her dip into the nexus between the fantastical and rhythmic. While the center of the project houses its strongest afro-fusion anthems: Nana which has the melodic instrumental base that powers most Afropop bops, but it is significantly bolstered by Töme’s writing and her ebullient singing. Yet It’s probably the flip in mood almost as though it is a dream that brings Fly, the hip hop, groovy bounce exuding all of Töme’s attitude and cool ending off with her rap skills, showcasing her immense versatility and personality.
The song that closes out the project is a deeply meditative song titled Spiritual Healing. On it, Töme is at her most candid, tempering her larger-than-life anthems with an earthy candor that examines her innermost feeling and displays her gift for scene-setting.