Stepping into the stars, Ravyn Lenae brings a lot of shine with her gorgeous array of vocals in her debut record, 'Hypnos'. While the magic runs a bit too long alongside production stumps, there is no denying the majestic presence Ravyn Lenae brings to her world.
The debut record pulls Ravyn Lenae’s sensual vocals and writing to a whole new level. Ever since her debut EP was out in 2015, she already has a fascination for alternative R&B with her pretty vocals gracefully whirling themselves around alternative beats that compliment her eye for yearning relationships. The EPs put out in 2015 and 2017 however are projects that reach for a style that Ravyn will acknowledge as her own. Not just that, they also reveal the growth that Ravyn Lenae is still pushing through, both as a singer and a songwriter. That growth keeps pushing onwards as she has found a great synergy with Steve Lacy, where the ‘Crush’ EP has now followed suit and finally finding her striking treasure, lighting up her presence as a sweeping cooing vocalist and a playful yet also mindful songwriter with Steve Lacy’s crisp production style that complements her even more.
And now with ‘HYPNOS’, her debut album 4 years later after that EP, she continues pushing her vocal talents and songwriting chops to even greater heights. It is quite clear that she’s challenging herself even more as she brings more range to her already gorgeous soothing vocal presence and brings more vulnerable and mature layers to her writing that stir captivating and approachable nuances to the relationships that she falls through, with 2000’s era style production providing variation for her to just float through with a sense of control and fun.
Like what was mentioned before, she brings more layers that show more aspects of herself. On cuts like ’Cameo’, ‘Venom’, and ‘Mercury’, there is a playful sneering attitude that Ravyn Lenae shows effectively as the synth wobbles amidst the light hi-hat grooves and stormy vocal harmonies on ‘Cameo’, the slightly skewed dance beat from the tapping drums and squeaky synths on ‘Venom’, and the playful nervousness from both Ravyn and Foushee’s soothing vocal melodies on ‘Mercury’ are accompanied with calming guitar strummings and pattering drum textures. ‘3D’ to some extent also plays into that playful tone with Smino’s flow that bounces off with his careful lust. It’s not all playful though, as ‘Inside Out’ does air out the vulnerability that Ravyn Lenae processes with the dramatic strings, nimble acoustics and grooves. And on the flip side, ‘M.I.A’ possesses a grasp of confidence in herself as she emphasizes focusing more on shining with the swirling house beat.
The relationships that Ravyn steps into have a sense of her agency and awareness, giving vibrant tones to the details of these songs. The tangled feelings of a past connection with a newfound relationship in ‘Lullabye’ is enrapturing as the gleaming pianos, whirring synth modulation, and trap beat provides enough space for Ravyn’s vocals to just sweep through. ‘Light Me Up’ with its sensual infatuation is just slick and seductive, peppered with captivating grooves from the bass and drums as well as the hypnotic vocal touches. ‘Xtasy’ is also sensual as hell, opting more for a dance beat with the swirling vocal effects and snappy percussion lines. ‘Skin Tight’ is quite refreshing, focusing more on the mental and physical reconnections with somebody that she still considers a friend where Steve Lacy brings his relaxed delivery to soothe that vibe. That, alongside the production, helps firm that relief of energy with all the robust guitar and bass strums and the well-textured production building around Ravyn Lenae’s cooing.
There is a starry flair in a lot of her writing, making the album feel like a glittering planet, all warm and cozy. The floating relaxation of ‘Deep In The World’ is elevated further with the misty touches of guitar patterns and vocal backings. ‘Satellites’ with its inviting offer to reconnect and fly high is expressed with the quicker, yet tasteful grooves. The dreamy introspection of ‘Where I’m From’ is calming as the lush vocals from Mereba and Ravyn immerse its dreamy tones from the acoustics, drums, and even the strings. And ‘Wish’ is a gorgeous song that ends the record with all of the sincere warmth Ravyn Lenae sings to her younger self, a dedication to her past and the dreams that she will make come true as an artist. It’s a track that reaches for the stars and flies around the entire world to instill that sense of relief, where the pristine acoustics and weary strings allow the feelings to coalesce, making it all transcend.
As a performer and a songwriter, Ravyn Lenae definitely has a lot of impressive work that makes the vibes stick together, however, sometimes the production can be the stumbling point to the hypnotic vibes of the record. It is varied that touches a lot of neo-soul and alternative r&b, but when tracks like ‘3D’ with the shambling bass percussion and keyboards, ‘Higher’ with its abortive misty rumbles, and ‘Cameo’ with similar compositional textures, they don’t exactly do that much to firm Ravyn’s performances and writing. It doesn’t help that the record runs a little too long for its own good, where some songs could’ve been cut to let that hypnotic swell to keep running in your mind. Because with the record running this long, it does deflate the neo-soul acoustic cycles of ‘Mercury’ and ‘Like You Do’, the quicker rhythms of ‘Satellites’, and even the afrobeat patches of ‘M.I.A’. That, alongside how the percussion can sound thin at spots or the instrumentals themselves are wafted on the mix on certain sections does cut out the grace that Ravyn Lenae puts in this record.
But for Ravyn Lenae showing her presence as a writer and as a singer, she is magnetic and terrific on this record. A debut record that steps beyond the stars and composes these cuts that are futuristic and blissful where every time Ravyn Lenae’s vocals sweep through, it makes the emotions of her writing to shine through, like a creation of a star that slowly gets brighter as it grows. There are weak points in the production aspect and the overall length of the record that shadows the full extent of Ravyn Lenae’s gleaming world, but they are still overshadowed by Ravyn Lenae’s captivating presence alone. It’s warm, it’s romantic, and it’s also absolutely gorgeous from front to back. Given how Rayvn Lenae is the performer that other artists are seeking out on certain records this year, she will shower us more with her gorgeous vocals in the near future.
Favorite Tracks: Venom, Inside Out, Skin Tight, Deep In The World, Lullabye, Light Me Up, Xtasy, Wish
Least Favorite Track: 3D