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The lowdown: At the ridiculous age of 19, Khalid released an almost excellent record. In 2017, American teen brought new life to R & B. Songs such as "Location" and "Young Dumb & Broke" sounded like the first hymns of Generation Z. Khalid captured the hectic energy of high school by mixing rumors of conversation with a percussive baritone and soul. He cited Kendrick, Chance, James Blake and Father John Misty as influences. Everything seemed possible.
(Buy: Tickets for upcoming Khalid shows)
In 2018, Khalid published an EP, Suncity. Less than a year later, he comes back with his second album, Free spirit. At the time when he was working for his debut, he relied on a mix of friends and ghosts in the making. Now, Khalid has arrived and he has teamed up with recognized hit-makers such as Stargate, Disclosure, Hit-Boy and Murda Beatz. Of course, one of the pitfalls of trust in success is that your songs can start to sound like the songs of others.
Khalid is still only 21 years old and the transition from prodigy to professional is considered delicate. Free spirit has some killer tracks. But compared to his predecessor, Free spirit is more conventional and less focused.
Good: "Bad Luck" and "My Bad" are both built around a cool guitar and flaming drums. On "Bad Luck", Khalid prefers a softer and ascending melody, while "My Bad" has a jazzy stuttering. But linked instruments create a conversation between the songs. This musical movement is crowned by "Better", produced by Stargate, a long-time collaborator of Rihanna. "Better" appeared originally on Suncity EP, but Khalid recycled it for a second project. This is exactly the kind of dark and undulating synthscape that made Rihanna's career. With "Better," Khalid looks like a pop superstar in training.
The album ends with the bonus track "Saturday Nights", another song from Suncity. Khalid immerses himself in a secret knowledge, in "All that I know / what your parents do not know". "Saturday Night" celebrates Newbury's cigarillos and Gray Silverados: The glamorous details that make up life.
The bad: Well, two of the best songs from this album were already the two best songs of another project. Perhaps Suncity underperformed, or Khalid simply thought that "Better" and "Saturday night" were better served in this context. But the songs have less impact when you've heard them before.
Sometimes, Free spirit spits a pop melody overproduced, mathematically perfect and perfectly deaf. "Intro" is big and nerdy. "Talk," produced by Disclosure, looks like what a computer would do if you pbad it on to every song of every former One Direction member. The album contains 17 tracks and the last half is full of love songs. As the "Saturday Nights" arrive, the inventiveness of the beginning of the album is a distant memory.
The verdict: Khalid is only 21 years old. Like most 21-year-olds, he is probably still making himself understood. Admittedly, the talent is there to allow him to make a long career, and if he does, many of the songs of Free spirit will always be in his concert rotation. But Free spirit is a fuzzy mess and is sorely lacking in editing. American teen had a living personality. Sure Free spiritKhalid seems caught between the desire to play a superstar and that of being himself, so that he does not sound either.
Essential tracks: "Better", "Saturday night" and "Bad luck"
Buy: Check out Khalid's vinyl here.
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