Hear The Track Here
As nice as it is to review material from those musicians I already know, one of the best parts of reviewing is the checking out of new talent. The first few out of the Soundclick bag this month are all new names to me, including Squarerootz. Just three tracks on his page at the moment and the smell of fresh paint all over the place, all hinting that Squarerootz is a new addition to SC's burgeoning R&B/Soul crowd. Charlotte, NC native Squarerootz says that Rockin', Shakin etc is an 'upbeat club jam with a Grown-Man Feel' which sounds somewhat like adspeak so - as usual - we'll let the music do the talking instead.There's a strand of American R&B that has been responsible for more musical horrors than most and Rockin' Shaking etc almost falls into that pit of despair, rescued only by a lively vocal performance. There's a softer, more saccarine kind of R&B that I can't stand, usually masquerading under the urban label that sounds more like lounge lizard music than anything with real soul. Luckily, lyrically this track doesn't descend to the cringe inducing kind but the music could have been less formulaic. It does have that 'heard it all before' feeling about it.
Ultimately I came away from this track thinking that outside of lovers of the genre it probably won't get that much attention. It isn't that the track is doing anything wrong, musically or otherwise. It might well even be a taste thing and this just isn't to my taste. However, try as I might to rationalise it, I also found it well - uninteresting really. A musical exercise that sounds fine, and does all the right moves but fails utterly to move me. As I say, it may well be a style thing, and I'm sure Squarerootz couldn't give a toss either way, but I'd prefer something with a little more meat on its bones than this track. Maybe it's just the material and maybe another track would give me a better perspective. Maybe we'll see next month :D
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