It was a lovely weekend in Gidi town; devoid of traffic and gifted with 'oh so lovely' weather. What better way could I have reviewed Beautiful Imperfection than loading it on my ipod and taking a loooooong drive to a party in VGC.

With my tank filled up and my belly empty (standard bachelor sturvs), I put in my earphones and let the music seep in slowly.

"Why Can't We Be.... Haaaaapy... Woooo Hoooo..."

Asa's opens up on her 'Beautiful Imperfection' clearly on an optimistic note; a song glistening with hope and the  hearty charm that has drawn many to Asa and her music.

Beautiful Imperfection is a 13 track album that was produced by the very best in the trade; with even Cobhams leaving his mark on this one, me thinks... :D

The album probably takes a listening or two to get used to. It is Asa, the new sound of Asa, and a story is told as you listen through the album. It's a story of unrequited love, soberness, faith, culture, acceptance and respect.

She absolutely sings her heart out on this album and puts up such strong vocals that it wells up massive pride in me that I share the same nationality with her; or half of her... lol!

It was a nice blend of soft rock on "Bimpe" and a well fused raggeae/carribean medley on "Why Can't We". Her traditional language (Yoruba) was also prominent even though this album was probably produced to appeal to a wider, international audience.

Stand out tracks are "Baby gone", "Ok Ok", "Bamidele", "Bimpe", "Dreamer Girl", "Preacher Man", "Why Can't We" and "Be My Man"... Honestly, everytime I listen, I'm drawn to another song on the album; It is just that good.

Asa only, only just, tops her previous self titled album and she must be given a whole lot of credit for achieving the impossible.

Our rating: 9/10