R&B star Brent Faiyaz has returned to the music scene with his third full-length studio album “Larger Than Life,” giving listeners 36 minutes of easy listening music with a fusion of several genres.
The 14 track album explores new horizons for Brent Faiyaz’s production, complemented with features ranging from small artists to larger names, like Lil Gray and Missy Elliot. This wide range of features allows him to capitalize on the creative approach he took for this release.
The album delivers what the majority of R&B and music fans are looking for. A well planned release with some experimentation in production.
One of the most exciting features of this album is members from A$AP Mob sprinkled across the tracks. A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ant both have solid verses on their respective tracks. Usually in the shadows of his group members, A$AP Ant makes the most of his verse in “On This Side,” even adding a shout-out to former group member A$AP Yams who unfortunately passed away in 2015.
Another highlight of the features on this album has to be Missy Elliot, delivering angelic backing vocals on “Last One Left.” Having a music icon like Missy Elliot on the second track really sets the expectations for the remainder of the album.
Although the features provided some great and meaningful contributions, the highlight of this album comes with Brent Faiyaz performing solo on the track “WY@.” On this track, Faiyez opens up about a toxic relationship that he and a partner find themselves going back to despite knowing they are not a healthy couple. This self-reflection paired with a catchy chorus and hi-hat drum beat delivers a single that gets stuck in your head.
Only released just days ago on Oct. 27, music fans have already rushed to social media to praise this album for how good it sounds. A lot of Brent Faiyaz fans were disappointed with his performance in his 2022 album, “WASTELAND.” That album featured some huge names in the industry such as Drake, Alicia Keys, Tyler, The Creator and The Neptunes. Brent Faiyaz shifted focus on this release, relying less on names and more on finding the right artists to perform on his tracks.
The album delivers what the majority of R&B and music fans are looking for. A well planned release with some experimentation in production. Brent Faiyaz really seemed to find the right voices to support his vision and the results show. Every track has a refreshing sound to it, making the entirety of the release enjoyable. The wide variety of production and combination of contributors makes this sound more like a mixtape than an album.
As great as the tracks sound, there is still room for improvement. Brent Faiyaz is already amazing at articulating his thoughts through his music releases, but we have yet to experience an album from him with a traditional focus. Regardless, “Larger Than Life” is a great release and it sets Brent Faiyaz up to move in several directions on his next work of music.
4/5 Stars
lrapp@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by @brentfaiyaz, Instagram
