#onefaris

Having cemented himself in the R&B realm, as an artist (including last year’s Ye Ali & Chill 4)and behind the scenes, writing and producing with newcomers and legends like Chris Brown, Ye Ali has been experimenting with genres, from displaying more raps to now releasing this new dance album, cleverly titled, WYA? I’m Not Mad Anymore. There have been a few dance album attempts of late, Drake…

Having established his hustler’s ambition and stance through the success of his last project Legendary Still, Pak-Man makes some changes and is back outside. “Real life rodeo, investment portfolio”, Classic ‘Patek’ Pak with his bars mirroring his lifestyle, elevated and staunch, despite being obviously overlooked, there’s few that can really deliver this style so fluent and honestly. It’s…

Lefty London - I Want It All

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Not since Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra and Jhene Aiko's Sailing Soul(s) have we had such a smooth and soulful breakthrough sound, under the mentoring of the legendary No I.D., the Rocnation artist has put out one of the strongest projects I've heard in a while. In an era flooded with generic sounds of shit, a new wave is always appreciated.

The young singer/songwriter has co-written some major records, including Usher - Climax, Rihanna - No Love Allowed, as well as featuring on Rick Ross' - God Forgives, I Don't album. Bijoux 22 further justifies his writing ability, his unorthodox style means his songs contain presence rather than a beat dictated melody. Starting from the intro Looking For Perfect, (although it  initially had a similar vibe to Frank Ocean's Forrest Gump) starts the tape off nicely, it's a cushion for Talk To Me, the more uptempo track sounds so fresh yet has an ol' skool R&B feel. Birdz is such a vibe, you can't help but to nod your head to the beat, with it's melody and catchy hook, that same feeling is amplified with another favourite X.O.X ft. Common, a track that could well be a single, and should be on heavy rotation throughout radio. Few tapes are as consistent, you have one or two good tracks and the rest don't make your playlist, however, with Bijoux 22, you have eight solid records, Beloved is a strong and emphatic record, which is balanced with the awesome Runnin' Blind, a song that deserves to be heard by a lot more (albeit via a movie soundtrack or commercial), I believe it'd be appreciated by many. It's not R&B without a love-making anthem, and you have that in the form of Vicky's Secret, another good vibe, which leads to the incredibly heartfelt Everything, bringing the tape to an end (only for you to play it all over again).

With his obvious songwriting ability, vocal presence (commanding records with his falsetto), his talent can't be denied, and add the quality production itself, Elijah Blake does no wrong with this project overall. Bijoux 22 does exactly what's needed as it will no doubt cement fans (eager to hear more), few will dislike it, now it just needs the media outlets to believe as much, though that will come in due time.