Album Review: Majid Jordan Push Boundaries of R&B with Self-Titled Project
/Majid Jordan album cover (Warner Bros Records)
Majid Jordan, a Toronto R&B duo, dropped their self-titled album this morning. The duo has strong ties to mega-rapper Drake, as they co-produced and featured on his hit, “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Drake even featured in a song on the album as a smoother version of his usual tough hip-hop tone in his own music. Majid Jordan includes a range of R&B tracks that push what is considered R&B in the music industry. While the lighter, smoother singing tones appear throughout the album, the beats of the songs are what separate them from classical R&B.
(Norman Wong/Warner Bros Records)
“King City” is a song that sticks out to its listeners due to both the singing and backbeats. The backbeats of the song are electronic and proceed quickly after each other in a purposeful pattern; it creates a very free-flowing vibe to the track that highlights Majid Jordan’s singing quality in a high key with drawn out notes. They sing, “You’re driving me wild, King City.” The entire package creates a car-ride vibe. Meaning, the song is certainly one you’d want to hear driving with the windows down on a summer day or, even better, through city tunnels on a summer night. There is a slight eeriness to this song and others, a slightly darker tone, which contrasts the lightness of the preliminary listening experience. “King City” is one that you close your eyes to and just see what it makes you feel. It is much freer than classical R&B and creates an actual listening space and experience that demonstrates its uniqueness.
“My Love” is Majid Jordan’s song featuring Drake. The song begins with a much lower key than “King City.” Techno beats begin to the fill the background of the piece, as Drake and Majid Jordan alternate verses. They sing, “Why you wanna be my love? My love, my love, love?” It is much more demanding and intense than “King City.” However, Drake overpowers the duo in the verse with his recognizable tone in a key that better suits him than Majid Jordan. Majid Jordan excel at a higher, R&B vibe, while this song suits Drake’s style. “My Love” is a great example of another twist to R&B in the album, as it is much more demanding and aggressive than the laidback style fans are used to hearing in the genre.
Majid Jordan is filled with twists and turns, as the duo navigates 80’s music seasonings, electronic beat improvises, and contrasting key changes that switch up the vibes of their songs. Each track differs from the others due to these influences. Their singing is solid; however, what carries the album are the backbeats that create a new, techno vibe to the edgier R&B that Majid Jordan are creating. It seems as the duo is pushing the expectations of an R&B album; it is a set of songs that should be listened to lying down with eyes closed to gain the full experience.