However, when there’s no connection on a song between the artist and listener, it can’t be hidden. The Bad: It’s easy to get drawn in by Smino’s performance on this project, drool over his flow, and get excited by his vocal tricks. From the flow of samba groove on “TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD” to the Jazz-like “SPINZ”, it’s clear that the creative rapper has fun exploring various sounds. Meanwhile, piano and drums have a show of their own on “HOOPTI” and “MF GROOVE”. The rare percussion sounds on “KLINK” and “FENTY SEX” create unforgettable moments. The tribal drumbeats at the end of “L.M.F.” introduce a short but exciting rhythm. On “HOOPTI”, he rhymes: “Not being dramatic, life cinematic/ This one feel like a classic, you look like a classic/ Might pull up in a classic.”Įlsewhere on the album, it’s the unique instrumentals that engage the most. Smino also shines by sprinkling creative wordplay across many of his tunes. The harmonious “Uh huh” in the chorus of “PIZANO” pleases the soul in a special way. First track “KOVERT” acts like an appetizer that warms the ears up for the vocal versatility across the rest of the album. His self-harmonies, baritones, shrieks, whispers, squeaks, and mumbles all act like condiments adding flavors to these songs. His vocal mastery is so rare that it’s hard to tell if he’s in a falsetto state or just hitting a regular note. His natural voice is like a machine that can dial up several other vocalists at will. The Good: The 27-year-old flexes his vocal dexterity across this 59-minute spin.
On NØIR, Smino continues to effortlessly blend genres while showing he’s comfortable singing as well as rapping. Artists like SABA, Noname, Mick Jenkins, and Valee have also secured their spots at that table. With his debut album, blkswn, he quickly gained a seat at hip-hop’s table of artists with unique sounds. This foundation is what he used to create his jazzy, soulful, and futuristic style of rap. Louis native Smino grew up listening to a lot of jazz and hip-hop. Honestly, if he trimmed it down to ten tracks it’d be a lot better. It’s definitely a step down from blkswn, but I still think it’s pretty good overall. The tracks I disliked are Tequila Mockingbird, Merlot, Hoopti, Low Down Derrty Blues, Krushed Ice & MF Groove. The album as a whole is pretty good sonically, but when it comes to the lyrics, it leaves something to be desired. I don’t care for the simplistic, bass-heavy production either. His verse on Krushed Ice was wack, and, to be honest, so was Smino’s verse. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that I’m not a fan of Valee. In my opinion, Krushed Ice is the worst song Smino has ever made. I don’t think anything on this album is actually bad, with the exception of one song. However, most of the other tracks don’t really stand out from one another.
The production is incredible on that song. The third track, Klink, is easily my favorite song on the album. I love the melodic hook & fast paced flow, and the production is fantastic.
The lead single, L.M.F., is really fuckin’ great.
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