Elmiene - sounds for someone

  What’s Good Ya’ll!!! By now, you should know I have crossed into obsession territory when it comes to my admiration for Elmiene. As soon as I saw a release date for his latest album, ‘Sounds for Someone’, and the release of three tracks, I downloaded the album and awaited its official release.

If it seems like Elmiene has been getting more recognition, it’s because he is…and I’m trynna tell you to hop on this train before you get left behind! Let me convince you, once again, why Elmiene has quickly and easily become one of the latest leaders of the new school.

I recently watched his interview on R&B Money with J Valentine and Tank. I wanted to get a better sense of his personality. I had seen him on Tiny Desk and The Terrell Show; he seemed very shy and reserved on those shows, compared to being very much in his zone and in good company on R&B Money. In the episode, he spoke in depth about his musical influences and how broke he was, trying to really give this music thing a shot. He was not only relatable but also hilarious! As he listed some of his favorites in the game and sang snippets of R&B classics, you couldn’t help but think this guy gets it, and he’s surely on his way!

And you can hear it clear as day on his latest project. ‘Sounds for Someone’ is Elmiene's 4th studio project. And as much as I am typically against artists releasing projects every year, I have to begrudgingly admit that he doesn’t have a bad project thus far. Within this album, you can hear influences from The Beatles to Babyface as he explores a wider range of sounds.

The only feature on the album is from the incomparable Raphael Saadiq on track 10 entitled ‘Light By The Window’ as the lyrics gently rock you into a love story of a lover lost and long gone.

'Cry Against The Wind', one of the singles from the album, is a beautifully written Prince-esque vibe. My favorite part of this song is the second half, around the 2:20 mark. The song changes direction completely; however, it keeps its flow of crippling angst the singer feels and has to face, comparing it to a strong wind you can’t turn away from.

'Reclusive' is another single from the album that I thoroughly enjoyed and related to all too well, especially lately. This song came out right on time as I was becoming a hermit again. With a catchy beat and tune, this song highlights the highs someone feels being alone; however, knowing it's not good for them, they evaluate it. The video is even more of a nod to old-school R&B, telling a story that fits the song to a T!

'Honour' is one of the latest singles from the album, and I could’ve sworn the beginning of this song is interlooped with his song ‘Remember’ from his very first album ‘Marking My Time (Again),’ but I’m not sure, maybe you can tell? It’s the many ranges in which he plays with his voice on this song that really does it for me, not just the fact that it's catchy as hell!

Listen, I could go on and on about all the ways in which Elmiene became a professor of the craft in what seems like overnight. But this was years in the making, as he studied the greats and honored those who came before him. Like every Elmiene album, it took me a couple of listens to fully love the entire project, mainly because I feel like you have to be in a certain mood to listen to Elmiene. He’s a vibe; it’s just that, in many cases, you want to hear certain songs more than others. But enough of what I think, you check out the album for yourself and tell me your thoughts. Links below:

Apple

Soundcloud

Youtube