Tamera: L.I.T (Lost In Translation) EP
Tamera shocked me. I remembered her from X Factor but now her image and sound is far removed from those days.
She has easily become one of my favourite UK artists and probably one of the underrated ones if I’m honest. If this is your first introduction to her then you are in for a treat.
She popped out with her first EP Afrodite in 2021, which featured the hit song Wickedest. This truly was a great insight into Tamera’s pen game, which is simply sublime.
L.I.T was released in 2023 and again I didn’t hear much noise around this, which is truly a shame. This EP continues to build up throughout and plays on her rnb / Afro swing fusion, that we were introduced to in Afrodite - the flow suits her vocal abilities so well. Anchor is the first song and reminds me of a laid back Jhene Aiko type vibe. The beat is simple and effective. Tamera gives us a little more grit and vocal fry which adds such nice textures to certain lyrics.
Poison was the single released and again we have a great summer anthem - sexy and sweet. You can just imagine dancing to this was your girls or locking eyes with a fine man in the dance. I’m not comparing at all (please be smart when I mention other artists), but a Tamera/Tyla collab would be epic - UK/South African crossover for the girlies.
The EP circles back to a more soulful sound with Diversion - you have to watch her colors performance. This is truly sublime work from her - she really pushes the boundaries with her voice and shows us that she can hit those notes when needed. She delivers the lyrics with an Afro swing flow and this really pulled me in. You can really hear it in the post hook when she sings:
“I look for something audacious
I know I need my own space but
I ain't never had patience
I don't really wan face it
I just wanna relation
Get me high keep me spacing
When you get my heart racing
I forget I need saving”
It’s just chefs kiss!
We end with Bamba and I love when artists end albums on a self reflection/self love song. It just rounds the up the whole listening experience in my opinion.
I really can’t wait for her to release an LP - I’m excited to see what else she has to give us in the future.
Rating: 5/5
Top songs:
Anchor
Poison
Diversion
Bamba