Tony Njoku All Our Knives Are Always Sharp
Tony Njoku's All Our Knives Are Always Sharp arrives as a cinematic, often theatrical statement that balances downtempo murk with moments of startling clarity, and critics generally view it as a bold step in Njoku's progression. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 73.67/100 consensus score, with reviewers consistently naming “WEAPON”, “CATATONIA” and the title track “All Our Knives Are Always Sharp” among its most striking moments.
Reviewers praise Njoku's fusion of Western classical arrangements and Nigerian idioms, noting how classical and electronic fusion underpins themes of self-actualization, spirituality and resistance. “WEAPON” emerges as the album's furious centerpiece, driven by circular piano motifs, detonating choruses and a digitally assisted falsetto that critics found both dramatic and regenerative. “CATATONIA” and collaborations such as the Tricky-featured “DEPLETED” are singled out for political urgency and textural invention, while the title track and “Safety” provide moments of hopeful, healing clarity amid the record's anxious atmospherics.
While admiration runs through the professional reviews, critics qualify their praise with notes about occasional over-solemnity and dense theatricality. The consensus suggests this collection will reward repeated listening for those interested in Afrofuturism, textured vocal-led atmospheres and a composer willing to blend classical form with psychedelic production. Below, detailed reviews unpack why the best songs on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp - led by “WEAPON” and supported by “CATATONIA” and “Safety” - are the record's most transformative moments.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
WEAPON
3 mentions
"Opening track “WEAPON” begins with an eerie toy-box melody"— Pitchfork
All Our Knives Are Always Sharp
1 mention
"features Coby Sey and feels like a hopeful graduation speech"— Beats Per Minute
Safety
2 mentions
"Safety, featuring Labi Junior, is a poetic song with haunting vocals and instruments"— Beats Per Minute
Opening track “WEAPON” begins with an eerie toy-box melody
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
ALL OUR KNIVES ARE ALWAYS SHARP
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Tony Njoku's All Our Knives Are Always Sharp feels like a fog of downtempo murk punctured by theatrical flourishes, and the review privileges cuts such as “Weapon” and “Safety”. The writer lingers over the ornate arrangements and the way “Weapon” uses circular piano motifs and detonating choruses to dramatise song as a regenerative force. Praise for the closing “Safety” focuses on its sudden, arresting clarity - "Daddy are you ready?" is singled out as a moment of liquid poise. Throughout the piece the tone is admiring but measured, noting ambition and occasional over-solemnity on tracks like “The Slipstream”.
Key Points
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‘Weapon’ is best for its dramatic arrangements and depiction of song as transformative.
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The album’s core strengths are its textural abstraction balanced with ornate, theatrical arrangements and notable guest contributions.
Themes
Critic's Take
Tony Njoku frames All Our Knives Are Always Sharp as an Afrofuturist reclaiming of classical ambition, where tracks like “WEAPON” and “DEPLETED” serve as the album's most compelling statements. The reviewer's prose is admiring and precise, noting how Njoku's plaintive, digitally assisted falsetto and haunted piano make “WEAPON” a furious centerpiece and “DEPLETED” a thrilling collaboration with Tricky. The record's features - from Tricky to Space Afrika - are described as cohort-like, brought in to shape rather than merely appear, which helps explain why these songs feel like the best tracks on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp. Overall, the album is praised for its intricate compositions that avoid melodrama while staking Njoku's claim as composer, singer, and producer.
Key Points
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“WEAPON” is the best track because it combines theatrical fury, vivid lyrics, and a terrifying preacher sample to anchor the album.
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The album’s core strengths are its fusion of classical piano and electronic production, cohesive features, and intricate compositions that avoid melodrama.
Themes
Critic's Take
In her attentive review, Mary Chiney frames Tony Njoku's All Our Knives Are Always Sharp as a striking blend of Western classical form and Nigerian idiom, and she singles out songs like “Weapon”, “Catatonia” and the title track as the album's emotional centers. Chiney praises “Weapon” for its cinematic build and startling spoken-word surprise, and highlights “Catatonia” for James Massiah's rap that rescues the track with political bite. The title track “All Our Knives Are Always Sharp” is read as a hopeful, healing centerpiece, while selections like “Spirals” and “Eternity” show Njoku's gift for textured, vocal-led atmospheres. Overall, Chiney presents the best songs on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp as those that marry emotional clarity with bold, genre-blending production.
Key Points
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The best song, particularly “Weapon”, stands out for its cinematic build and surprising spoken-word ending.
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The album’s strengths are its genre fusion, cinematic production, strong guest contributions, and spiritual-political themes.