Since breaking out in 2016 with the mellifluous “Kwetu”, Rayvanny has operated at the top of Tanzanian music thanks to an operatic interpretation of bongo flava that takes inspiration from soul, R&B, hip-hop and private school amapiano. Born Raymond Shaban Mwakyusa, Rayvanny’s delightful take on bongo flava and embrace of sounds from across Africa has resulted in a series of cross-continental collaborations that have sealed his reputation as one of the most critical voices operating out of East Africa. Where 2021’s Sound From Africa crystallised this theory of sonic cross-pollination, Rayvanny’s Flowers series has always been the arena for some of the singer’s most emotive offerings. The first edition of the series, released in 2020, was steeped in traditional bongo flava with romantic desire as its thematic focus, while 2022’s Flowers II was highly experimental, infusing flourishes from reggaetón, Afrobeats and kizomba for a lively thesis on attraction and sensuality. The third instalment of the series, Flowers III, arrives less than six months after the release of his palate-cleansing Unplugged Session, but is a reintroduction to the motif of romance that has powered most of Rayvanny’s music. Tincturing his bongo flava sound with splashes of R&B and electronica, Flowers III is an engaging listen that elucidates its message of romantic satisfaction clearly across its nine tracks. “Habibi”, accessorised with beguiling riffs and muted percussions, is a stirring ode to a lover, while the Jay Melody-featuring “Dance” is an unassuming summons to the dance floor. On Flowers III’s back end, there is little space for ambiguity as Rayvanny urgently stakes a claim for his lover’s attention forever.