![]() Other Muni moments like “Ain’t Easy” look at the “cognitive dissonance” between just-sex and real love, but “Crack” is the real, raw deal. Then there’s “Crack,” the title (and subject) of which is not subtle but is definitely effective. And as her new-ish name says, love is the main ingredient when it comes to subject matter: Romantic love, lost love, carnal love and love that might be based on something other than love: “Babe, it’s either with your heart or with your credit card, and I love Cartier,” she sings in “Cartier” - and although love-or-money is as old as Shakespeare, Long sly sense of humor feels fresh, and its spacious bump-and-grind is open and graceful. Starting with a Moog fugue that recalls ‘70s Stevie Wonder, “Conversation” maximizes its minimalist melody, synth-slap rhythm and short duration by pushing Long’s elastic vocal runs up-front in the mix. There’s a reason Long calls her publishing company Keep It Simple Stupid Music: The concept of “deceptively simple” that made the spare “Hrs and Hrs” such a killer is all over “Public Displays of Affection.” A change of name, an independently-released EP featuring the haunting, quirky hit “Hrs and Hrs,” and suddenly, Muni Long is a new artist with a remarkably seasoned and strong debut album. She released strong albums under that name too - 2009’s “Jukebox” and 2018’s “Coloured” - but neither of those records had the sparkle, innovation and warmth that her songwriting catalog contained. Blige, Miranda Lambert, Selena Gomez and more. Working under the name of Priscilla Renea, Muni has long been a songwriter whose soul and pop smarts helped forge hits such as Ariana Grande’s “Imagine,” Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It,” Rihanna’s “California King Bed,” along with tracks for Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Mary J. There’s been no shortage of neo-R&B albums over the past few years, but so many of them are led by breathy female singers who feel like they’re singing in your ear - very few have had full-voiced singers at the forefront.Īnd although Muni Long isn’t a belter and does put on the bedroom voice on a couple of tracks, her first full-length album is a blast of vintage ‘90s R&B that isn’t trying to be cute: It’s filled with frank lyrics about of love and sex from an artist who’s been around for more than a minute. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |