In a genre that accommodates a vast range of individualities, it’s difficult to stand out. When you’re this free to stand out and do yourself, your creativity becomes the sole thing that can set you apart, blend you in with the crowd, or just get you lost entirely.
Rylai is a passionate Seoulite, with a distinctive brand of music, somewhere at the crossroads between R&B, Neo-soul, and Hip-hop. So, does it stand out? Difficult to say based on this song alone. The very first thing that hits is a lush acoustic guitar strumming an emotive chord progression alongside the only bit of processed vocals on this song before Rylai starts singing, and it might be his singing that truly elevates this song to its great height.
A truly capable performer in regards to range and control, an amazing ear for melody, and an overall sweet timbre. Effective lyricist too, with heart-pulling words that are way distanced from your usual genre stereotypes. And with a simplistic backing that’s borderline sparse, all that is given ample space to shine and show.
There might not be a specific area where Rylai fails to deliver on this song. Production, arrangements, instrument choices, words, and voice… are all quite on point. Yet, still, there is an untouchable quality that lets it down… you see, if R&B artists can lend almost an individualistic quality to their respective sonic brands, Rylai’s quality would be of a great guy! A stand-up guy to befriend and go on road trips with. Not that of a superstar who’s bound to international stardom. An all-around great effort that’s very sweet, but struggles to achieve uniqueness.