Rapid Fire Reviews: Specter Of The Multi-Talented
While the connection between these records may be loose, they are pretty loose.
DEACON - Serpentwithfeet
This is honestly just a couple of albums I want to talk about before the year is out and there doesn't seem to be any better time than now.
HARAM! - Goldlink
Goldlink is a DC area rapper who has immense talent and has shown it off more than a few times in his career so far. Unfortunately it hasn't translated into many great records as he consistently provides inconsistency as a singer rapper and songwriter. It's been 2 years since we last heard from him and in my review of his last album I mentioned that when he and his features are operating at their best the highlights are excellent. But just like is often the case those tracks were mixed in with underwritten and underperformed cuts. HARAM! seemed to come out of nowhere shortly following Goldlink's return to Twitter and features a pretty busy and impressive selection of features among its tracklist. It also features a mixtape like concept of short tracks with only two of its 15 cuts eclipsing 3 minutes. Goldlink is also making heavy use of vocal effects all over the record which come off with mixed results. Some of these tracks are made freakier and more sonically diverse by the decision but others feel like the wind is taken out of them without clear vocals for everything to operate around. One thing I have to give the project credit for right out of the gate is its versatility and willingness to experiment. The beat choices on the album are anything but samey and with one song after another often sounding so different I never really get bored with the record. This is matched by a rotation of features that also bring a variety of contributions both as rappers and singers, and occasionally both. The quality of these songs however can definitely vary. The whole thing feels very spontaneous which can occasionally create some wonderful and fresh moments but also births some tracks that either seem like terrible ideas or hastily assembled sections of a few completely different songs stitched together. Ultimately while this isn't rewriting the book on Goldlink's career it definitely lends credit to his creativity as a curator of features and beats, plus his vocals are generally solid throughout. 6.5/10
Planet Her - Doja Cat
Doja Cat is one of the biggest artists in all of rap and pop music right now and had this record come out during a less busy time I would have certainly tried to do a full review of it. But already feeling late I decided to just slip my thoughts on the record into this short review in a more general sense, some of that has to do with avoiding the repetitive complaints I have about many of these songs. When this record is stepping outside the box and exploring a really unique sound it is almost always a hit. The SZA collaboration Kiss Me More has been one of the songs of the summer, Ain't Shit is catchy and hilarious, the Young Thug collaboration is one of my favorite Doja Cat songs to date and the Playboi Carti baby voice channeling Get Into It (Yuh) has become my favorite song on the entire record. These are blended in with a handful of high profile collaborations from JID, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande all of which can be pleasant while on but are quite forgettable. However I prefer them to some of the other songs that fill out the records tracklist heavy on generic pop trap cuts that do a terrible job of showing off what makes Doja unique both thematically and artistically. The record opens with a pair of these cuts and they are littered all over the tracklist never really letting the album build up any real momentum. Once again I'm left observing the fact that Doja Cat is obviously talented and has the potential to succeed artistically, but for some reason that only ever translates into about half of her songs. 5.5/10
Serpentwith feet is the R&B moniker of New York singer and songwriter Josiah Wise whose profile has been growing in the music industry over the past few years. With increasing collaborations and attention being paid to the project I was excited for this record and listened to it when it first came out, but for one reason or another I just could never get around to formerly reviewing it. I wanted to talk about the album in some capacity because I firmly believe that Josiah is a star in the making, with the vocal chops to be one of R&B most sensual modern performers. While the tracks on Deacon are patient they are unmistakably lovesick. Weirdly enough the record feels like a handful of Perfume Genius songs like Run Me Through and Die 4 You extrapolated into about a half hour of sensual slow burning R&B anthems. None of these songs last over four minutes and plenty of them round out at under 2 minutes which makes it feel like a series of vignettes intended for different admirers, a concept I enjoy throughout. The record actually features some songwriting and production collaborations from an artist who is no doubt a huge influence on Josiah, Sampha. While it does get me salivating from new Sampha music I think his touch adds a lot to the records subtlety and helps highlight the beautiful vocals Josiah can deliver while sonically isolated. There are definitely points on the record where the production comes up very flat, and other moments where the songwriting is almost too restrained and starts to feel like its wandering aimlessly. Thankfully those moments are minimal, although with the records short runtime they make more of an impact than usual. Deacon is an improvement from Josiah's last project Soil and I think he will only grow better and better, with increased exposure allowing him to work with collaborators to truly channel his special vocal talents to something incredible, at which point this album will be looked back on as a crucial stepping stone. 7/10
