“Co-writers like Anais Preller, Suzanne Kiss, Heather Joseph, Carla Zipa, Sylvia Jones, Sheila Fabrizio, Vita Rose Taytro, Bonnie Lee Panda and Alex Bach bring the theme to life while adding layers of emotion and depth with either their voices and/or lyrics. The harmonies are further enriched by Kevin Monroe’s direction of the backup vocals and Devotion’s talents.”

“The recording sessions … at Horizon Music Studios in West Haven, CT, were overseen and produced by Vic Steffens and co-producer by Matt Oestreicher, who also handles the orchestrations. With music provided by The Collaborations Band, featuring notable award-winning musicians such as Bobby Torello, Scott Spray, Al Ferrante, Jon Peckman, Tim DeHuff, Bill Holloman and Dave Eggar on strings. Together, they bring each piece to life with skill and passion.”

As their bio reads, “In an era where the essence of music often gets lost amidst the cacophony of modern sounds, ‘Collaborations’ emerges as a beacon of hope for fans of profound lyrical narratives set against the timeless backdrop of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.” Sounds quite interesting.

So let’s have a listen …

The first track Let The Love In starts with a drum shuffle, then comes in a funky R&B progression and lovely vocal by Anais Preller that truly captures a classic 60s Motown vibe. Nice! I’m really digging the vocals and lyrics. Nice flute solo halfway through into the bridge and again at the end of the piece. Very well constructed song. I’m impressed.

The next song Time For You also features Anais Preller on the lead vocals. I love the classic horn section that kicks off this song. The vocal mix really stands out, everything sounds so good, great mixing, editing, and mastering. The vocals are very clear and understandable, which is often missing in a lot of what I hear and review. Very classic Motown type vibe. Loving the sax solo in the bridge. Anais does a great job singing this one.

The third song Running Out Of Tomorrows begins with an African vibe then with a nice background vocal chorus and then quickly transitions into another classic Motown vibe. This time a male and female vocalist duet featuring what I’m guessing is Ed on vocals with Anais. The male vocalist sounds fantastic, a really nice voice for this type of song. The song has a big distinctive chorus. I love the message of the lyrics in this song. Reach out, make a difference, come together, and equality, … we’re running out of tomorrow to change things, it’s up to you and I. I find the breaks and bridges in the song well constructed from a songwriter’s perspective. The song falls out to a vocal part sparsely populated with instrumentation and then kicks back into the power chorus full band. The mix is excellent.

Better get ready, Ready For Love the next song begins and I’m already loving the funk guitar riff that carries the song. And the horn section. New female vocalist Sheila Fabrizio singing this tune. She has such a classic Motown voice. It reminds me of Gladys Knight. The songwriting is tops.
Very tasty lead guitar solo before the last verse and chorus. If you’re reading this you better get ready … for Ed Daniels and Sheila Fabrizio bringing the love to you and your ears!

The next song I Wanna Know starts with an acoustic guitar strum. Very nice orchestration kicks in against the guitar. This time the female vocalist is Suzanne Kiss. Loving the string section parts in this song. Nice vocal, if not my favorite, but still really nice. Loving the background vocals. I love referring to God as “she”. This song has more of a religious vibe.

The next song Don’t You See features Sylvia Jones on the lead vocals. Again giving me a very 60s Motown vibe. The voice reminds me of Barbara Lewis (Baby I’m Yours). Loving the background female vocalist choir. Again the songwriting is excellent, just when you think the song needs a bridge, it delivers an interesting bridge. The vocals are clear against the mix. The song ends with “set yourself free”, the message of the song.

Doing Fine is another song sung by Suzanne Kiss. I like the syncopation in this song. Very nice piano part carries this tune, the playing is very lovely, and even throws in a few atonal chords that capture your ear but stay within the key of the song. I think the lyrics in this one could be better, it’s like they’re too straight-ahead and simple in their rhymes and word choice.

The next song Got A Feeling starts off with a horn section and gives off a Blues Brothers vibe, a barroom band vibe. This song features Heather Joseph on the lead vocals. The song itself reminds me of Tina Turner singing Proud Mary, but the arrangement of the song in this case is more interesting than that classic song. Loving the lead guitar solo in the bridge. This band is really tight. The vocalist reminds me of The Shirelles.

The ninth song is Think About It featuring Vita Rose Taytro on the lead vocals. Another classic Motown vibe song with a lovely string section. This album is packed with R&B gems, then comes in a very ear-catching lead guitar solo. I’m really liking the lyrics in this one. Very memorable hook.

Already There features Sheila Fabrizio again on the lead vocal. Starts off with a nice R&B electric guitar strum. I’m really digging Sheila’s voice, truly next level for this kind of music. The lyrics are fun and engaging in this song. Another nice funky lead guitar solo that perfectly fits the mood then back into the pre-chorus and chorus. The band is locked in the whole album. Some nice performances, mixing, and editing on these songs.

The final song Where We Belong starts with an acoustic guitar strum. This song features Carla Zipa on the lead vocals. Another really nice song. Loving the horn section, wish it was a bit louder. Another really tasty lead guitar solo in the bridge. The Carla’s vocals carry the tune. Nice way to close out this album of great songwriting, arranging, and performances. 

“‘Collaborations’ invites listeners to experience music that is not only crafted with skill but also imbued with meaning. It’s a journey back to when songs told stories, evoked emotions, and inspired change. For those who believe in the power of music to unite and uplift, ‘Collaborations’ is a project that resonates with purpose and passion.” It truly does. Give it a listen.

SCORE/Outstanding: The performances, editing, mixing and mastering on this album are top-shelf. If you love classic female vocalist R&B, this album is truly outstanding, and I don’t say that lightly. We get a lot of good and some not so good albums to review here at Music Review World, but this album is truly superior to most of the material that we receive. Virtually every song on this album could get radio play on an R&B format station. Even if you’re just casually into that classic Motown vibe, you should definitely buy this album, or at least listen to it. You’re guaranteed to dig it. Much love, Beth

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“I wanted to create something that felt smooth, intimate, and cinematic—like the soundtrack to a night drive or a moment of escape,” says A.L.I.A.S. Backseat captures that blend of emotion and movement, giving listeners something to vibe to, whether they’re unwinding or on the dance-floor.”

Right away you can hear top-quality production, which is always a plus! This track has a nice “hypnotic” late-night vibe, soulful vocals, rhythmic percussion, and infectious melodies. This “seamless fusion of genres makes it a perfect addition to R&B, Afrobeat, and crossover playlists.”

I like the echo on the drum beat intro. Nice rap voice, very smooth flow. I really like how the voice sounds in the upper registers. The female vocalist joins the flow in the middle of the song. The track has a very smooth jazz sound with the rap vocals acting like the melody instruments. I can feel the ocean laid back vibes, sipping on a Pina Colada in the bar by a beach.

I really enjoy the female vocals towards the end of the song, very catchy. Then there’s a break where a male rapper breaks into the song with a heavily effected voice, with the female vocals carrying the song again to its end. Loving the sweet lead guitar motif during the song. I would like more of it.

SCORE/Excellent: This interesting rap track features ocean vibes. Very chill and relaxing. I can see this track finding a large audience. Do yourself a favor and check out this song Backseat on Spotify. Much love, Beth

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HinnRYK and their new album It All Comes Alive is a solid demonstration of how things would look with a couple of more personally funky tweaks. Who is HinnRYK, essentially?

They are a musical duo from Iceland who emerged onto the scene in 2024 with a vibrant blend of funk, pop, R&B, and rap. This band comprises two talented musicians—The Baron, residing in Iceland, and Daniel Gray, based in Norway. Their music draws inspiration from a variety of genres and generally defies categorization.

With what seems to be a debut record, It All Comes Alive continues from the very first seconds to do what they do best: dive into infectious grooves, soaring melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics. However, my main question remains: is this record as genre-challenging as it was promoted?

Yes, absolutely.

The intro track, “She’s A Zero,” first gives you a taste of the catchy, rhythmic pop-like hook that transitions into a more formidable sound with some introspective rap delivery that catches and loops you inevitably into its hook.

“She’s A Zero” is not the only example that indicates how diverse and multi-dimensional the sound of this album is.

It All Comes Alive is not afraid of vulnerability or melodic moments, nor is it afraid to be direct and raw. The duo experiments with their sound, leveraging both their strengths and weaknesses from one track to the next. However, one thing is clear from track to track: the rapping is top-tier.

The energy of the vocals ranges from snarling to haunting on tracks like “Land Of Dreams,” which is simply exceptional. Even more notable is how the rapper’s style is not confined to one single type of beat, as is often the case with many rappers.

Furthermore, it is quite refreshing to hear more Scandinavian influence in the music nowadays, especially in their rapping ventures. The bouncy yet, at times, minimalistic production showcases more than needed, seamlessly expanding the narrative. Somehow, all these different influences—ranging from indie rock to pop-rap—give the band a new signature style that remotely reminds you of Twenty One Pilots, yet with understated soft beats that easily get you into that toe-tapping movement.

A blend of authentic tones and timeless influences feels cinematic and immersive, even though the tracks don’t always share a consistent sonic direction. The only thing uniting these tracks is the curiosity and authenticity you get from the artists, and the charm of tunes like “This Error,” which brings a brooding, introspective sound.

With 12 tracks on the record and a runtime of 41 minutes, the duo also delivers some empowering and dynamic sounds—among my favorites on the record are tracks like “Let Me In,” which is simply breathtaking, offering a hypnotic and expansive feel that stands out as a highlight. The Baron’s vocals on some of these hooks are charming, greatly complementing Gray’s impressive wordplay. Performances like “Let Me In” or “Not My Game” are moments where The Baron shines as brightly as a young star.

Going through such a concise and diverse tracklist, it’s hard to pinpoint any significant failures. Both members execute solidly, providing a very decent debut record that blends mainstream appeal with expansive, challenging sounds in one package. If I had to define what this record tries to achieve, I would say it’s an attempt to create a unique fusion of diverse influences that take pop-rap in an intriguing direction.

While I may not dig into some of the cuts toward the latter part of the album—tracks that feel a bit too soft and slightly less dynamic and energetic in their delivery—this doesn’t take away from the numerous advantages this album offers or the potential these guys truly have. I feel this record demonstrates that the duo can deliver an insane mix of layered, contemplative, and sometimes minimalistic sounds that feel both relatable and lush.

Score/Excellent: These guys prove throughout the record that they can make music in every way they want, achieving an immersive and excellent experience that is incredibly intricate.

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After a quite mixed reception of singles that Abel teased throughout the roll-out, the emotions and expectations surrounding the project were quite uncertain. Whether you heard a synth-pop, pop-rap inspired “Timeless” with Playboi Carti or “Sāo Paulo,” which finds itself in a subpar mix and a cheap imitation of Funk Madelāo, The Weeknd himself did not really participate in the roll-out either, barely promoting or supporting the theme of ‘Rebirth’ or ‘Death,’ which seemed to be the central topic of the record. All those factors combined, my expectations for the record were truly low, as The Weeknd was not really hitting the mark at some points during the roll-out.

However, with Hurry Up Tomorrow now here, were my expectations and worries valid?

Absolutely not.

Funnily enough, none of the singles serve as a clear indication of what the record sounds like. Hurry Up Tomorrow is where The Weeknd tries to combine elements from his career one by one and implement them into one solid foundation—whether it is the synth-wave production on “Wake Me Up,” combining the darkness and brightness of Abel’s previous records, or “Open Hearts,” which jumps fully into the dance-pop scene predominant on Dawn FM.

Some of the other performances on tracks like “Baptized In Fire” or “Cry For Me” remotely evoke what you might find on Kiss Land or Beauty Behind The Madness.

Is it to say that Abel’s new record doesn’t bring you anything new?

No, again.

The Weeknd’s latest record fills the sound with such colors that you might have never expected to hear or see, pushing vibrance and darkness right onto you. Abel easily builds up the suspense in various ways throughout.

On “Reflections Laughing,” the singer chases flashes of light with his harmonious vocals that transition into a luxurious guitar loop foreshadowing the darkness.

I am glad to see that Abel doesn’t solely pursue hard-hitting bangers like on “Timeless” but rather adds another layer of dynamic, gruesome yet empathetic sound. For example, “Given Up On Me” immerses you in a raw and brooding beat that abruptly transitions into gentle classic R&B with chic touches.

Furthermore, despite creating an immersive, curated elegance with sporadic bursts of raw energy, Abel delivers a dual sense of emotion throughout the record. Whether it is the mournful, cinematic part of “Wake Me Up” that later becomes ethereal, dreamy pop, or “Big Sleep,” which adds a nice touch of psychedelia and bizarreness to the record’s stability by bringing up the accumulated tension once again.

Throughout all these years, Abel has been one of the best at building tension and then striking with the most epic and exciting resolutions. This record is no exception.

Abel easily navigates through the diverse sounds he has developed throughout his career on this album, jumping from melancholy to crescendo-driven monumental sound.

Another thing to notice on this album is its direction and how well-collected and produced the record sounds. Despite my earlier criticism over sluggish single choices and uninspired music videos for these songs, the album gives you an absolutely unmatched idealism.

Every feature seems fitting, and while not excessive, they showcase the strong and experimental sides of everyone on it. For example, Travis delivers an insanely pitched deep voice on “Reflections Laughing” that was not showcased before—something absolutely contrary to the recent “4X4”—or the delicate yet striking touch of Lana Del Rey on “The Abyss.” I also feel that this is the record where Abel most embraces a fusion of hip-hop/trap influence with synth accompaniment, and if with “Timeless” I wasn’t a huge fan, something expansive like “Enjoy The Show” featuring Future works perfectly.

This record is also a good demonstration of where The Weeknd and Mike Dean really went at it; you can easily feel the dominance of distinctive synths. Lately, Dean’s mixing wasn’t on the highest echelon. However, here there is simply nothing to pick on regarding Dean’s mixing—except for sometimes louder instrumentals on “Cry For Me,” where Mike steps away from the “watered down” mix.

So, while Hurry Up Tomorrow is an undeniable masterpiece that immerses you in the unforgettable, cinematic warmth of music, it is still hard to crown it as the best of the new trilogy. The strong advantage the previous two records have for me over this new joint from Abel is simply the length. While After Hours clocks in at 56 minutes and Dawn FM at 52 minutes, Hurry Up Tomorrow exceeds 80 minutes. The new record certainly offers an extensive range, and considering it is Abel’s final The Weeknd album, that is actually advantageous. However, due to such an extensive track list, I had trouble remembering every song because the experience felt so smooth yet prolonged. The feeling of tension was omnipresent, but distinctiveness sometimes gets lost in such a wide range of songs.

So, the length is probably my only complaint, as it brings up issues with the album’s cohesiveness and its distinguishing sounds compared to previous records.

And, well, I still absolutely dislike São Paulo.

Score/Outstanding: To sum it all up, Hurry Up Tomorrow is a beautiful piece of art that confidently and cinematically closes out The Weeknd’s career. Its rhythmic waves, alongside the wavy aesthetic of the record, create a mind-blowing experience. It is gentle, expansive, rich, nostalgic, and experimental. It has all the attributes of The Weeknd’s perfect record, and, to no one’s surprise, Abel executed it perfectly.

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Right from the beginning, we can tell what direction this album is going to go in. “Tiffanies (Intro)” pretty much sums up the entire package, giving the impression that I’m listening to an album that came out in the 2000’s, with the production being a bit more modern. Can’t say that the rest of the album gets out of this one sound, which is unfortunate, but one song stands out. “Bizarre”, I could confidently say, is the best song on here.

Production is at its best here, sounding pretty crisp, and the song is quite catchy. That being said, I can’t say much else about it, except that it’s a bit derivative, with the song’s chorus feeling ripped out of the main melody of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, but that could be my ears just doing overtime.

I wish there was more I could say about this album, but there really isn’t. There are quite a few problems with this record, but they also happen to be prevalent in almost every song that comes after “Bizarre”, and I will go over them.

As I alluded to earlier, the production on this album is reminiscent of what I’ve heard from the 2000’s and through some of the 2010’s. Epiphanies & Tiffanies sounds outdated, and it’s quite unfortunate. Cootchill’s flow is much the same, as it can be heard in “She Needs Me” and “Not Girls”.

There is a common trend I’ve sensed throughout the album, and that is many of the instrumentals are based off of guitar arpeggios, kind of like what you would hear from Polo G and other third-rate rappers like him. You can hear this in songs like “Mamacita”, “Dangerous”, “Not Girls”, and “Diamond”. Things like this may seem inconsequential, but when you’ve reviewed thousands of albums, many of which have this exact same sound, it starts to get just a little irritating.

I also want to comment on the poor lyricism that is prevalent. I’ll show you a couple of bars that are Illogical.

From “Not Girls”: “You can take it to the top top – You take pride in your work and make that thang drop – But when the curtains close and the party fades I could tell you’re a not not.”

From “Mamacita”: “She peeped me like it’s Easter (Easter) – I peeped game like a teacher (teacher) (????) – I’m doing donuts in this parking lot – She’s running circles, guess my name is Urkel.” I also want to make the point that as a Latino, our women are already over-sexualized, so I don’t particularly appreciate the message of this song, especially from someone who wants to start “making love cool again.”

From “Latte”: Just play the entire song, you’ll understand.

From “I Would Never”: “Our friendship is a glass house but he’s throwing stones.” Easily my favorite one of the bunch. Who’s going to tell Cootchill that this isn’t how the “glass house” saying works?

Speaking of Cootchill himself, I would say that he’s not a bad singer. Granted, he’s not anything out of this world, but I’d say pretty decent. I sense that some auto-tune was used for “Bizarre”, but it seems more for effect, kind of the way Kanye would use it throughout 808s. Sadly though, that’s perhaps the best thing I can say about this artist.

Here are my ratings for each song on a scale of 0-4:

1. Tiffanies (Intro) – 2
2. Bizarre – 2
3. Mamacita – 0
4. She Needs Me – 1
5. Dangerous – 1
6. Can’t Say More Than God – 0
7. Epiphanies (Interlude) – N/A
8. Not Girls – 0
9. Latte – 0
10. Diamond – 1
11. I Would Never – 1
12. Wrong Places – 1

SCORE/Poor: Now, what can I say after a scathing review, especially to Cootchill? I’ll say the one thing that I’ve said to many independent artists on this website:

Get more creative.

Now, I should’ve said this earlier, but I’m not a big fan of R&B. Wait, let me clarify…I’m not a big fan of MODERN R&B. If you go back a couple of decades, the genre was doing fantastic, but that was due to many R&B artists trying different sounds and expanding the genre. This is especially true after hip-hop became dominant, with artists like Tyler the Creator, who just released a fantastic record that pushed both genres even further. Hell, we don’t even go back too far to see artists like Usher making great songs that are more creative than anything we’ve heard.

However, in the case of Cootchill, it’s not that there wasn’t anything original on this album, but there was nothing to really grab onto. This album, and many others like it, are the reason why I do not enjoy listening to R&B in 2024. This is the Buzz Lightyear meme where he’s surrounded by other copies on the shelf. So, for Cootchill, if you do continue to make music, make something that will give people a reason to go back. I wish you well in your endeavours.

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The album itself is described as an open letter to the fleeting nature of information and relationships in this current day and age, with a definite emphasis on relationships- to be specific, romantic relationships. Joe ponders on the apparent perceived dysfunction of relationships with people’s need for instant gratification and the lack of commitment as well as the tenacity to pull things through and work together to build a healthy, long-lasting relationship. Themes of trust, loyalty, as well as disloyalty, litter the content of this album as he works his way through an attempt to build social commentary on this particular topic. As much as I think his concerns are valid, I do think that these points are certainly debatable given some of the ethics of relationship dynamics in the past. Moreover, a lot of R&B artists genuinely have taken this arc and premise to furnish their own bodies of work, making me wonder if it’s even an original thematic framework at this point.

As much as I think this is extremely myopic, the mainstream music industry (especially within the confines of the Western music sphere) tends to box themes of royalty within the genre of R&B and themes of disloyalty and opulence within the genre of trap without accounting for ‘conscious rap’ and other forms of rap. As a result, a kind of thematic fatigue arises because if a lot of R&B singers are already making commentary about the state of human relationships, what new idea can I gather from a new release? At this point, your music and compositional skills would have to be top-notch to supersede the thematic pitfalls… and that’s our cue to explore the music of the album itself.

The album starts off with the track ‘Pinkeen’, a track that truly has been heavily marketed and pushed by Joe himself. It bears a slight 80s bass, with its punchiness, and there’s definitely an attempt to pay homage to 90s hip-hop with the ‘hey, ho’ onomatopoeia. Yes, it’s easy to spot the influence in the track, but similar to the issues I’ve already pointed out in my previous review, the track has severe mastering and quality issues. The ‘hey, ho’ segment sounds incredibly lacklustre, and the vocals are not mastered well enough. It needs some sort of mastering and EQ’ing for the vocals to gel well with the rest of the instrumental. From personal experience, it isn’t an easy task, but you market yourself as a vocalist primarily, this is quite crucial with a polished single on a platform. I will say, that the rogue piano keys amid the song do sound like a lot of revivalist 90s R&B tracks, such as those that Ella Mai used. (Boo’d Up comes to my mind.)

Move Your Body follows the same problem as the first track. Some of the vocal tracks sound like as if they’ve been dipped in water. The composition is okay, I can hear the funk and the blues influence in this track. However, the production is quite unpleasant. Joe needs to work on using better quality VSTs and plug-ins for his instrumentation. I can hear the simple MIDI-fied track on the horn segments and it does not bear a sound that’s organic enough. However, the choice of notes and songwriting is EXCELLENT- ESPECIALLY with the Blues piano segments amid the track. I see the vision for this track: it’s extremely mid 2000s, but any segment with voices included, be it from the main vocalist or the co-vocalists, flattens the quality of the track.

Hypocrisy comes off as more organic and competent, weirdly enough. However, in my previous review, I have commented that he truly does not sound out of place when he sings in French compared to English. His mastery of English is not bad in any way, but his singing comes off extremely naturally- perfect phrasing and melody. Once again, the compositional aspect of this song is not bad. It almost sounds like a vintage Usher song. It just needs some tweaking with the choice of instrument clips as well as vocal mastering with the self-harmony segments within the song. I must commend the intent of the call-and-response between the strings as well as the bass. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but the heavy bass complements how delicate the strings are in the track. The claps should have been omitted in the track though, as it makes the track sound as if it was made in the 2010s.

Oh Yeah follows the same compositional intent of Pinkeen, but instead of paying homage to the 80s merely by the sound of the bass, the influence bleeds onto other melodic aspects of the song. It even goes into a little bit of New Jack Swing with its chord structure and choice of instruments. From a mastering perspective, this is one of the best tracks of the album thus far. I don’t know why this track is actually properly mastered, without any cheesy VSTs, but I’m absolutely digging it. It has aspects of everything that is funky- guitar licks, and slight ad-libs that remind you of Michael Jackson. Another plus point is the fact that Joe sings primarily in French in this song, making it where his vocals sound unconstrained and free to please the listener.

The tracks She Episode One, Two, Three, Four, Five, We Still Here, Talking About You and SHE remind me of Queen Majeeda’s ‘audiobook-cum-album’ concept, with once again, an overly-MIDI-fied orchestral sequence paired with a badly mastered spoken word piece. I really hope that Joe fixes the mastering and production issues within his albums, as this is a recurring pattern. The narrator’s voice almost sounds like artificial voice synthesis, and the background track is a little too dramatic to fit the theme of the album as a cohesive body of work. I get the artistic intent- these clips are probably meant for a cinematic music video, but it just doesn’t fit. Especially with the constant reoccurrence of these ‘audio diaries’. They do sound a little cheesy. Perhaps using a little bit of a different creative direction would’ve worked to boost the predictability within these spoken tracks.

Nos Actions is definitely one of the highs of the album. It bears the beautiful Central/West African guitar melodies characteristic of R&B from 2002-2005, or Wizkid’s brand of revivalist R&B with ‘Made in Lagos’. Even though this song is simpler, it does not bear too many production issues. The tone and timbre of the guitar are authentic enough to lure the listener in, his French singing covers the potential awkwardness apparently with his English spoken-word and singing segments, and the choice of instrument clips for the strings do not overtly scream in your face that I’m a ‘standard VST preset’. The song is quite beautifully made, and his ad-libs glisten throughout the song. My only critique is the EQ’ing of the percussion within this track, as it sounds a little off for such a tender song. The acoustic version of the track also delivers when it comes to quality.

WTPA mixes the digital age of the 80s with R&B-hip hop fusions of the same time period, sometimes sandwiched between ’04-’05. The female vocalist in this track gives me a little bit of Fergie vibes with the way she sings. I get the intent with her harmonized parts, but something is quite off in its execution. Further refining of the key and notes she sings in would help this song be elevated. I think this song is ‘okay’. The same issues with poor VSTs arrive, but this song isn’t too glaringly bad or mindblowing. I think songs with themes like these work better when the artist is a brand rather than an upcoming artist, if you understand the undertones of the music industry.

Give Me All then ventures into slight Maxwell territory- think of songs like ‘Til’ the Cops Come’ and ‘Sumthin’ Sumthin’ with its dark, broody bass, neo-soul undertones as well as floaty but decisive vocals. I actually really like the composition of this particular song. It’s extremely unique and compositionally interesting. I think if Joe dropped the early 00s R&B revivalist act and made more songs along the lines of this song, he would stand out more as an artist. It also reminds me of Loose Talk by Aaliyah with the odd time-signature quirks within this song. Surprisingly, with this track, there is no mastering issues at all.

Because of You – Remix has very warm undertones with its introductory chords, but a small problem arises and I think it’s the time signature and the relation of that to his vocal tracks. However, with slight tweaking, this could be the best track of the album. It gives me such a deep neo-soul vibe it ventures into Erykah Badu territory at some point. The elevation in his vocals also help to give this track a dreamyness. It also helps that the chord sequence also reminds me of space-age music, giving it a very interesting juxtaposition to the bass and the percussion. I actually really adore this track, even with the slight flaw in it.

JTGTY really confused me when I first listened to it. There was an attempt to create an acoustic vocal harmony, but there was a brash robotic feel to the vocals. Not in the Zapp & Rogers’ futuristic robotic sense, but like a pitch corrector. The tender trills of piano would’ve shined better if this track was completely organic. I will say, the harmony reminds me a little bit of the rhythm of the harmonies of ‘Liberian Girl’ by Michael Jackson. The piano work in this particular track is extremely sublime, with a slight out-of-tuneness and crystal feel to it. I think if the harmonies were filtered and a little hollowed out, the track would have a sense of balance. Definitely some potential with this track.

The remix of Pinkeen does not necessarily sound better or worse than the original. It loses its technological flair, and fits a true blue track of the 2000s, but it needs more refining within the production to help elevate the track. I’m not sure if the rap sequence helps the track in any form either. I do like the artistic direction this track intended to go in, though.

What do you do starts off quite strong, with a more tender and organic harmony sequence from Joe. This is the sequence that ‘JTGTY’ needed. The mixture of the electric guitar with the Rhodes-like piano makes it actually very classically R&B, as it was once seen as fusion but it was replicated so many times it’s almost second nature to the genre. I love the guitar sequence that accompanies the co-vocalist’s vocals, it gives the song a bit of spunkiness and musical variability.

Once again, the mix of proficiencies within this album does not necessarily deviate from the previous album that I’ve reviewed of him. As much as there were some peaks of artistry within this album, it was a little disheartening to see the exact same pitfalls from the previous release still strewn about this particular production- lack of a better choice/quality of VSTs, problems with vocal mixing as well as EQ’ing, and certainly stylistic fatigue when he definitely has potential to tap into other aspects of his artistry that he’s shown time and time again that he’s extremely competent in, but these aspects do not get instantly marketed towards his brand and his thematic choices.

He shines when he is given the range to be unique and compositionally competent. However, these pitfalls need to be fixed before releasing another album that repeats the same mistakes. Moreover, the constant flooding of semi-spoken-word throughout the album is going to turn off the average listener in this day and age because of the low production quality and the mere length of it. I get the need to merge artistic styles, but it just was not executed well in this particular body of work. If you aim to be experimental, you need to know how to blend it in well with the rest of your songs so that music-oriented people do not get ear fatigue.

Otherwise, the tracks that I think are definitely worthy of a listen are: Oh Yeah, Nos Actions, Give Me All, Because of You – Remix as well as What do you do. One thing that does make me give this album fewer points is the fact that with the last release that I reviewed, the same stylistic and production problems occurred, but the few tracks that I pointed out for consideration were extremely competent and mindblowing. In this particular instance, these tracks are not as mind-blowing as the standout tracks of the other album. They are good tracks, but five out of twenty-two tracks makes me wonder if this should’ve been an EP instead.

Score/Good: ‘SHE’ is an album that unfortunately repeats the same problems that have plagued Joe Lington with his previous release. There are five tracks on the album that will spark some sort of neo-soul revitalisation to your ears, and Joe is also a wonderful vocalist when compelled to make tracks that he sounds definitely comfortable in, but he is extremely capable of producing a body of work that is more competent than this.

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With Joana Queiroz lending her clarinet expertise combined with the multi-instrumental talents of João Erbetta and Koosje, the song’s flow is easy, effortless, and fresh thanks to a dynamic performance by all three artists. With smooth clarinet solos flourishing just in the backdrop accompanied by a jazzy drum, piano, guitar, and funky bass line, there is a lot of subtle and effective movement throughout the track.

With Koosje lending her vocal talents solely throughout combined with her efforts on the guitar and co-production of the instrumental, her ability to showcase some Traditional Jazz vocals accompanied with solid vocals inflections, progressions, and high notes, Koosje Jazz standards performance is excellent. Lyrically, the song offers poetic ambiguity and alludes to a level of co-dependency with someone who occupies their thoughts and life to a fault of losing their sense of self. Short, sweet, and light, the structure of the song following verse/chorus/verse/chorus offers an effective flow of the track, never being overly repetitive.

In a track that is best categorized as a fusion of Jazz and Neo-Soul, Koosje offers a solid vocal performance that showcases her vocal talent without overshadowing the fluid feel of the track. In performance and track that is most similar to that of Sinéad Harnett, Koosje showcases her ear for vocals, sound, and lyricism effectively here.

Score/Excellent: Simple, fresh, smooth, and jazzy, Koosje offers an easy listen of a track with a lyricism that is poignant and ambiguous while giving enough context to elicit one’s own interpretation of the track. Effectively crisp and melodic, the instrumental works of both João Erbetta, Joana Queiroz, and Koosje truly make this track as excellent as it is due to a fresh interjection of life and passion in their performance paired with a fusion of genres/sounds from Latin to Traditional Jazz. While the simplistic nature of the track might make the on-repeat factor hinder a bit, the quality of the track’s mixing and execution is more than enough enjoyment for an overall excellent track.

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With a mostly cohesive flow in sound with some variations in thematics, the duo seems to be effortlessly releasing track after track in two consecutive albums with 20+ songs, most of which charted on Billboard on the week of release. With variations in sound, style, and genre, the duo has shown in this companion piece of a project their talent and ability to appeal to the masses in this genre-swapping release.

While the previous album WE DON’T TRUST YOU quickly garnered attention for Kendrick Lamar’s diss verse from the track ‘Like That’ against J. Cole and Drake, the theme of diss tracks continues as both The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky offer verses aiming sights at Drake in the tracks ‘All to Myself’ and Show of Hands’ respectfully.

With The Weeknd coming to Metro Boomin’s defense while additionally being retrospectively happy for not signing to Drake’s label OVO to be a sideshow act in ‘All to Myself’, the diss is more cryptic and vague yet specific enough for fans to conclude as to who and what is being said exactly. For A$AP Rocky, the rapper sends shots to Drake by stating he, essentially, staked his claim to Rihanna before Drake’s brief infatuation with her and furthers his diss by throwing shade on the lackluster reception and success of Drake’s most recent album, For All The Dogs.

Outside of these disses, the remainder of the album highlights the typical tropes of women, wealth, sex, and complicated relationships in the typical Future lyrical delivery. Surprisingly though, Future shows moments of real depth, vulnerability, and earnestness in tracks such as ‘Nights Like This’, ‘Right 4 You’, ‘Mile High Memories’, ‘Beat It’, and ‘Always Be My Fault’.

These tracks in particular find Future exploring themes of betrayal in a relationship, devotion to his partner, substituting wealth for love, and reminiscing on previous relationships that still stick with him now. Between the exploration of the typical tropes combined with the explorative nature of Future’s vulnerability, the album is a mixed bag of themes that, while not always flowing together well, offer glimpses of real emotional depth and self-reflection that is refreshing for the genre and rapper.

In slight contrast to the previous album We Don’t Trust You, there is a slower tempo that lends more to the genres of Cloud Rap, Deep House, and Alternative-R&B due to Metro Boomin’s lighter touch on the instrumentals and Future’s singsong delivery. While there are some moments of Trap/Hardcore Hip Hop, especially on Disc 2 of the album (The final seven songs of the project), the album at its core is a Cloud Rap/Alternative-R&B fusion.

While the Trap-centric style of We Don’t Trust You was fun and straightforward, Future truly shines brighter on this release as his singsongy style matched with the genre/vibe carries better than the average sound of some of the generic Trap tracks off the previous release. For an album of this length and duration, it is a surprisingly quality release with only a few features to share the weight of the album with Future. While every single feature shines in its regard (Especially The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky), this is truly Future’s album to shine and showcase his ability on a large and freeing scale.

Rating/Good – ‘WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU’ is an impressive companion piece to their previous collaboration ‘WE DON’T TRUST YOU’ which continues the momentum of diss verses, quality instrumentals, and length/duration. In a shift of style/genre that lends more to Cloud Rap/Alternative R&B, Future shines bright, especially in tracks that give him the space to offer vulnerable and earnest lyricism on a myriad of topics. Cohesive feeling in sound, the album is a bit of a mixed bag of thematics/tropes that can be disjointing but is elevated given some quality production, impressive vocals, and fresh features. While this album might not be accessible to the masses, fans of the genre and duo find there to be more than enough tracks to enjoy in this stacked release.

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The intricate strings of the electric guitar at the beginning of the track immediately set the tone of flirtatious intimacy derivative of 90’s RnB artists like D’Angelo and Boys II Men. DC then comes in with soft swooning hums that feel like they come from someone who knows old-school RnB back to front.

Briana Kiwi then takes the floor for most of the track’s opening section and doesn’t fail to impress with her satin-lined seductive vocals and contagiously confident presence. Briana brings a touch of modern RnB to the track that feels reminiscent of Summer Walker and SZA, however, she combines the daring sense of sensuality those artists have with the old school RnB beat in a way that feels new and creative.

The centre of attention then smoothly transitions back to DC as he utilizes a slower more subtle style that harkens back to Motown and golden era soul music. His more strained approach in his singing style envokes a strong sense of genuine emotion and oozes laid-back old-timey soul music in the best way possible.

C4Play brings a sense of modernism to the track putting on a more rap-centric melodic display in a similar vein to Tyga or Bryson Tiller. He helps bring some variation to the track and adds a layer that listeners who are more partial to Hip-Hop can enjoy.

Score/Excellent: Any music fan will know that RnB and Hip-Hop are sister genres and this song is a representation of how they can be combined perfectly, even dashing in a touch of old school too. “Let’s Make It Right” is fun and simplistic mood music that is made for dimming the lights.

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Having previously scored for action/thriller movie ‘Percentage’ and crime drama ‘House Of Bodies’ for Flava Unit Entertainment, producing for artists such as Rick Ross and Ice Berg, and releasing an impressive catalogue of singles and full-length album ‘4 The Love’ in 2020, it is clear that Razor’s multifaceted talents have already led him down several different avenues.

This time however, he has been concentrating his efforts on the build-up to his 2nd album ‘4 The Love II – Rose Petals and Bullets’, due to be released later this year, through the pre-release of singles ‘Flakey’, ‘Do Me’ and ‘Music & Moscato’.

The latter single is a track that, upon first listening, will instantly infect listeners with its laidback and easygoing vibes. Combining a trance-like hip-hop and R&B-inspired instrumental with fiery raps and smooth vocals ensures that this track is one to remember, and is just as smooth as butter. Beginning with a hypnotic guitar intro that is soon joined by Razor’s soulfully resonant vocals, the song is off to a mesmerising start. Boosted by the singer’s suave delivery of “All we need is music and Moscato yeah”, Razor creates a tone that is immediately sensuous and sultry in its captivating charm.

Though the song adopts a leisurely and steady tempo throughout, the simple but effecting top-line provides a groovy energy through Razor’s lively and spirited adlibs within the verses. There is an indescribable amount of satisfaction once the first drop hits; the distinctive hip-hop beat and thumping bass collide to create a magical base for Razor’s powerfully dynamic bars.

The artist’s flow is that of a practiced and perfected musician; the almost effortlessly clean verse characterised by Razor’s cool, charismatic vocals bouncing atop the meditative instrumental, in turn lending the song a tranquil yet addictive quality sure to thrill fans and new listeners alike. “We can take it slow and go from zero to hero” is just one of the lines that Razor delivers with a particularly debonair flow.

However, it is the chorus, which once again seduces listeners with its illusive backing track and overall ethereal tone, that contributes so much intrigue and enchantment to the track. With the aid of Razor’s background in music production and scoring, the song quality is raised in terms of its stellar production and expertly polished sound. The use of sampling in this track also works extremely well to seamlessly elevate ‘Music & Moscato’ from a catchy little hip-hop track to an enthralling and all-encompassing listening experience that audiences will be drawn to time and time again.

The track perfectly brings together the best of two completely contrasting sounds; a smoothly serene backing track that makes the listener feel like they have entered a fever dream, and Razor’s confident and playfully energetic bars that immediately entertain in their hip allure.

By the time the song draws to a close, with a runtime of under 3 minutes, fans will no doubt be scrambling for the replay button to continue to bask in this track’s hazy vibes.

After multiple listens, ‘Music & Moscato’ seems to be an ideal match for late-night drives or a lazy rainy afternoon perfect for immersing yourself in wistfully romantic tracks such as this.

Score/Excellent: If this is the calibre of music expected to be released on Razor’s upcoming album ‘4 The Love II – Rose Petals and Bullets’, then it is officially time to start getting excited. At the end of the day, no matter when or where you listen to this track, the music itself is enough to provide both thrills and chills more than worthy of the replay button, Moscato optional.

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