IAMDDB - WA'HUM
IAMDDB released the song “Wa’hum” to consolidate a quiet 2020 which saw her only release 4 singles with the highlight of these being “God’s Work” which was produced by the duo iLL BLU.
“Wa’hum” radiates confidence and perfectly portrays a woman who will not be messed with. The lyricism within this song can be seen to be quite intense and explicit at surface level but they do look to be used to fully highlight IAMDDB’s fearlessness rather than being used to cause offence and outrage.
Wa’hum actually means delusion in Arabic which when paired with the lyrics can begin to make sense of the greater storyline present within the song ; where people’s perceived ability to mess with her may have prompted the tracks title.
There is also a very interesting sonic direction present as the track presents a fusion of hip hop and grime which is later met with Dancehall. There are also very daring elements added to the track like the dog growls embedded within the chorus and the menacing laughter to finish which fully move to highlight the confidence and creative freedom IAMDDB has put on show in this body of work, both in its lyricism and its production.
Jacob Collier - The Sun Is In Your Eyes
Jacob Collier has followed up his incredible 2020 which saw his album “Djesse Vol.3” nominated for 3 Grammys including the prestigious Album of the year with the release of the song “The Sun Is In Your Eyes”. The track was actually premiered nearly 8 months ago via a TED episode titled “Spectacular, glorious, musical wizardry | Jacob Collier” but it has only recently been released via his streaming platforms.
This song however is a far cry from his usual experimental production style with its stripped back nature only seeming to bear resemblance to one other song he has created titled “Time To Rest Your Weary Head” which features on Djesse 2 as these tracks share similar degrees of guitar & voice texturisation.
“The Sun Is In Your Eyes” has all the inklings of a classic love ballad; his choice of lyricism provide the most conclusive evidence of this as he states “And where I go/You lead me in the right direction/ With your love is my protection/I’ll be a world of your projection”. Such lyrics are paired with both a beautifully simple guitar melody and his signature husky voice to induce feelings of love, care and nostalgia.
Celeste - Love Is Back
“Love Is Back” is the latest single from Celeste’s upcoming album, “Not Your Muse” which will be released on February 26 via Polydor Records. Her previously released singles include “A Little Love”, “Strange” and “Stop This Flame”.
The lyrics highly oppose the themes you would commonly associate with love as this song almost highlights the resignation Celeste has to the poor calibre of men at her disposal as she goes on to state “ Oh, my God, I feel so bored/ I'm startin' to realise that all the boys that I find / Are all trouble, I told my mother / She said, "Girl, get your glass full". This is later compounded by her own realisation of the repetitive nature of her almost unjustified optimism when she goes on to state “Might be foolish or out my mind / Must've said it a thousand times / Can't be lyin' if I see the truth / I know who and I look at you”
The production has a Retro-soul feel to it with the gentle drum pattern, lowly trumpet additions and subtle piano riffs creating an acoustic environment that wouldn’t feel too far removed from Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black” album. Soft howling can also be heard in the background which creates a 60s Motown type of feel and round out an all together solid piece of work.
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