KYLE’s Lively Love Letter
Looking for a little bit of sunshine in your life? Something to get you going during the last weeks of cold weather?
I have been waiting for THE album of 2024. We aren’t halfway throughout the year yet, but the Californian artist KYLE just released something that resonates with my musical tastes. The Californian singer/rapper showed no mercy with SMYLE AGAIN, which came out on March 8.
Why smyle and not smile? That’s a great question that only he can answer.
The album cover shows us a beautiful smile, like the one you probably got listening to this one of a kind dance album. But unlike other dance albums, he mixes rap perfectly with the beats that never get redundant. That’s an accomplishment on its own and something that is hard to do these days. You will feel like jumping up and down on track number 10, Suddenly. But don’t play that song too loud, your neighbours might get irritated.
He uses sound effects originally unlike what other artists do. The now famous chipmunk voice effect that has been used by others like Drake or Frank Ocean is used perfectly on WOAH.
Best track? By far, it is the second song And U Know It. You will never get tired of it.
You must be ready to be blown away by pure talent. If you are more of a country kind of guy, you will fall in love with Somethin Bout U. It’s something we didn’t see coming from the artist. It works with the help of his friend Teezo Touchdown.
What about the last song of the album? If you are also a music fan, you know that the last song of every album must be meaningful and introspective. It needs to bring you somewhere else emotionally and set the mood for future projects. Usually, it is mostly sad, or calmer than the rest of the songs.
On this one, Forever & Ever & Even After That is just that. It starts without too many fireworks with only violin playing. And then the lyrics kick in, and it’s a beautiful love message.
‘’I would jump in front of a train, baby I’d die for ya. If someone didn’t tell you that you’re perfect. They lied to ya.’’
The somewhat surprising beat kicks in after 50 seconds. And the rest of the song is history. It makes you want to chase your dreams and cry at the same time. That takes a lot of raw talent to bring these emotions out of someone. Congratulations for that. Congratulations on a beautiful album carefully crafted. There are reasons why we say music is art.
Don’t underestimate what the 30-year-old can do going forward. SMYLE AGAIN is his 6th album. His debut project Beautiful Loser, a mixtape, was released in 2013.
KYLE’s first solo album, Light of Mine, came out in 2018.
SMYLE AGAIN caught my attention when I was looking for the latest releases online. The only project from the artist that I knew before his most recent album was It’s Not So Bad (2022). Perfect and Unreplaceable, with the unique and talented UK singer/songwriter Craig David, were my favourite songs previously.
His voice is recognizable. No one sings and raps like him. That’s something that distinguishes him from others who do the same kind of music. The man born in Los Angeles was influenced by many, including Kid Cudi.
KYLE’s beginning hasn’t been precipitated. He follows the correct steps of stardom, without going too fast. That proves once more that perfection takes time, that it isn’t done overnight. After all, he is just at the beginning of his thirties. His best years are ahead of him.
His talent will propel him to the next level. Until then, you need to listen to SMYLE AGAIN.
Smile at life, even when it gives you a bad day. You only have one smile that follows you through the darkest days. It is then a good thing to have in your back pocket when you need to pull yourself out of a rut.
