Worth The Wait
Posted November 15, 2016
By CaitlinLassiter_NRT, Staff Reviewer
For pop/hip-hop artist B. Reith, new music has been a long time coming. His last mixtape, 2012's How The Story Continues, was over four years ago, so it's only natural that when Brian began to talk about releasing new music this year, fans were thrilled to help make it happen. Through a hugely successful PledgeMusic campaign, the funding for B's Heart On My Sleeve EP came to life in just a few days.
"The past few years have been a beautiful struggle. Out of that struggle I have grown a lot, and songs have been born. I believe in these songs so much I've waited patiently to release them because I've wanted to make sure they get heard. If you've been waiting, thank you for your patience," B says of the group of songs that will break his four-year silence.
R&B artist Christon Gray features on the first track, "Winning Feeling." Paired with B. Reith's rhythmic vocal skills, Christon's addition to the song makes it a pop/hip-hop collaboration to be played on repeat. Showing off the musical chops that make B.Reith such a dynamic artist, "Start Over" is a fun moment that holds flawless harmony, a catchy guitar melody and autobiographical lyrics carried by his distinctive, soulful vocals. Another memorable moment on the album, hooky "Can't Stop Loving You" will easily get stuck in your head with its guitar riffs and captivating chorus.
The standout track on Heart On My Sleeve, "Roll With The Punches" is an honest lyrical take on his struggles as an artist: "We should know by now that the road to greatness is paved with suffering / easy way out only leads to nothing / all these dead ends are teaching us how to roll with the punches." Continuing the theme of vulnerable lyricism, "On My Own" brings down the tempo in a plea for community and freedom: "If I never wrote another song, would you still love me? If I never went on tour again, would you still wanna know me for who I am? If I told you how often I think about quitting, would you think less of me?" Musically intriguing "Deep End" closes out the album with Brian's signature falsetto vocals and soulful singing.
The Bottom Line: When you think about everything that B. Reith's music has to offer--catchy hooks, honest lyrics, guitar skills, quality production, a unique and expressive voice--it seems obvious to say that he's one of the most underrated artists in music today. Brian can tackle pop, hip-hop and soul all in the same song, handling each genre with extreme gracefulness and talent. Heart On My Sleeve gives fans a piece of all those elements and proves to be well worth the wait from an artist who hopefully is nowhere near done making music.
Song To Download Now:
"Roll With The Punches" (Get it on iTunes here.)
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