7/10

Ever since he first emerged with his outstanding debut album 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam' in 2011, frontman Obaro Ejimiwe aka Ghostpoet has always been one to wear his emotions and thoughts on his sleeve. Told through a lens of soft and brooding production, his work is always intended as a reflection of his personal feelings towards the state of the world today. It all seemed like he had reached his zenith on the 2017 release 'Dark Days + Canapés' with its overarching political messages throughout, but if there were any time for Ghostpoet to return to the scene, 2020 would be the best possible contender.

Although written before nearly all news on the coronavirus began to emerge, 'I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep' still manages to fill itself with all the same despondent anxiety and uncertainty that we have all begun to feel in recent months. His deep and distinct vocals penetrate through a warm and woozy musical membrane, creating an air of depression at the state of the world once again and delivering a collection that is able to connect with the listener like never before. Ejimiwe has always had this ability to bring out the deepest sense of dread to whoever absorbs his music, but the timeliness of this release levitates it to a whole other level.

It may be the context in which this album has arrived to us, but 'I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep' is certainly one of the more prominent and powerful offerings in his catalogue so far. He may not be here to cheer us up in any way, but he certainly knows how to fully embrace a state of mind that can take the darkest moments of human life and still find beauty in it.