A lot has happened since Atlanta artist 6LACK released his last album “East Atlanta Love Letter.” Now, five years later, the R&B artist releases his third album “Since I have A Lover.”
With a more joyful sound, the singer plans to continue to build his already admired discography.
Album Highs
The smooth and easygoing style of 6LACK has been missing for a while. Thankfully, 6LACK continues this on “Since I have A Lover,” partially due to the production of FWDSLXSH, who has worked with him in the past.
All the songs have a similar theme that fits his style, but none sound the same. "Since I have A Lover" constantly crosses between rap and R&B, and from somber to uptempo.
In addition, he has taken a new direction in his songwriting, focusing more on the romantic and joyful sides of relationships. Though he still talks about the hardships of dating like in “Playin House” or “Tit for Tat,” most songs have a more pleasant view of relationships, which is a stark difference from the past.
His selectiveness in collaboration is a double-edged sword as this does not overcrowd his LP like other artists tend to do. However, it does make me wish to see him have more features. The only official collabs are Don Tolliver and QUIN, but there are hidden features such as Wale and Yebba.
Finally, the pacing of the album was done just right, as it just strays away from being too slow or monotonous. Once the album hit the halfway point it began to pick up with songs like the afrobeat-inspired “Decatur” or the bass-heavy “Talk.”
Album Lows
It's hard to justify a 19-song album, but paying attention to the pacing and timing helps. As stated before, it was nice to see him be selective with his features, but songs like “Chasing Feelings” could have improved with the addition of another vocalist.
While “Since I Have A Lover” is solid from start to finish, there is no star of the show. This does not make the album poor, but this might hurt its replay value.
Summary
6LACK's ability to switch between rapper and singer makes any song interesting. The atmospheric sound of many songs like “Temporary” make it easy to lose yourself in the music.
Though it is earlier in the year, I do worry if “Since I Have A Lover,” will still be talked about near the end of 2023.
A great follow-up to “East Atlanta Love Letter,” this album is an 8 out of 10.
Best Songs:
“Since I Have A Lover”
“Decatur”
“Talk”
