Leven Kali. I had no idea who this artist was but what I can say is that man… am I happy that I found him. I had not even heard of him even with his lead single being out (Do U Wrong). Again, can not express how pleased I was to have discovered his existence (LUCKY ME).
The thing I love about this album is that it has character and style… I really REALLY like that. So many records lack that. Belonging to a certain genre does not mean that you can’t still have a very specific sense of style and attitude that you want your record to have. It does not have to be boring or predictable. THIS HAS THAT. I GUESS… it’s a soul/R&B/Pop record but it honestly matters not because you just love the way the entire thing feels and sounds. The vibe of it all is just COOL. This is the kind of record that you have on when you have people over for a get together/party (or whatever) and this is playing in the background… and trust me everyone goes “who is this?!?!” I will talk logistics on why this is one of those albums but the style/vibe/feel of it right off the bat gets an A+ from me.
Diving into actual content… it is a short(er) album and honestly really should be an EP but that is neither here nor there. Every song on this record is good and I skip nothing. While I was listening to it, I always make note of ones that I love and or are to be added to certain playlists in my Spotify. I noted this for nine of the eleven (gold star). It has a definite R&B feel but with a very funky influence. Nothing is copied and/or forced. He is not trying to be anyone else (another problem I often have with freshman releases). Every “slow” song is still a moment and many have what I call a “dreamy” feel (my friends make fun of me for that). Lyrics are fine, nothing bad. Cool. Also nothing groundbreaking. Summer windows down feel… not Beach Boys windows down but you get the idea (FUN FACT: The Beach Boys are my favorite group of all time). One complaint is that the tail end does lose a bit of momentum that we really had at the top, but it is to be forgiven because it’s in good taste.
Favorite tracks for me are Mine which sets the tone right off the bat. Cassandra – think Roxanne but re-done to live in 2020. It is feel-good fun. Do U Wrong – the lead single that I mentioned… smooth, sexy and one of the strongest songs overall (the Syd feature is a giant help to this) and My Offer – a perfect surprise halfway through the record, maybe one of my favorite moments overall (I will not give too much away and spoil it). Check out the album here!
In summation, a great debut release and it comes highly recommended from me. If you listen drop me a line and let me know what you think. x LH
Lee Hollis 