Begin
IN A NUTSHELL:
Recommended for:
Fans of R&B, and Pop music
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Pros:
Powerhouse Vocals
Fresh and invigorating style
Cons:
Overproduction
No sense of collectivism or progression, lyrically
Begin is the debut album by R&B Pop duo LION BABE. It was released on 5 February 2016 via Interscope Records and Polydor Records.
Photo by: Side Stage Collective
Mom:
(Luke Culhane)
Lion Babe. Why haven’t heard of her? She’s got what it takes to be an interesting pop music artist. I just discovered her myself. Her album contains the confidence of a well established pop star, with the integrity of an indie singer.
Mixing a shoe-gazed R&B with powerhouse vocals is a new combination the world didn’t know it needed until this artist came along. This album covers all the main bases it needs to. The album has satisfying, meaningful lyrics, adequate musicianship, and interesting production. One of the few flaws with this album lie within the fact that the album does not possess a sense of collectivism, lyrically. This being said, it does have such an attribute with regards to its production style. This artist is the reason we have this page. I would have never heard of or listened to this artist. If you follow this blog for the opportunity to listen to new unique music CHECK OUT Lion Babe.
Favorite Song: “Stressed OUT!”
9/10
Melody Maker:
(Jake Marino)
Lion Babe are a relatively new alternative R&B group that have given us an album that contains both bangers and duds.
First off, I must say that I am a fan of the tone and overall voice of Jillian Hervey. There’s a matureness and soulfulness in Hervey that can’t be found in too many other vocalists’ voices. Her unique tone is already enough of an incentive to check out a group like Lion Babe.
One of the things that didn’t impress me too much was the production. Like most alternative R&B albums, there is a heavy focus on invigorating and refreshing production for this album. However, there were not too many moments on this project where the production wowed me. While there are definitely moments where the production shines through to make a song more interesting like “Jump Hi” or “Hold On,” there are moments where a song sounds like something that would be playing in a gym in the middle of the day. Songs like “Impossible” and “Where Do We Go” make me feel more like I’m working out at a 24 Hour Gym than listening to an album.
Overall, Begin is a decent collection of songs. This album does not break any new ground or do anything that hasn’t been done before on an alternative R&B album, but that doesn’t make it bad either.
Fave song: “Hold On”
7/10
Photo by: Paul Hudson
Magicfingers:
(Andrew Shults)
I have some mixed feeling about this album. On one hand I find it extremely intriguing, LION BABE clearly has an aptitude for creating unique and original songs. On the other hand most of the songs fall short of their potential in my opinion. Besides two or three tracks that were awesome, like “Jump Hi”, “Where Do We Go”, and “Holdin on”, most of the others were not quite as good as they could’ve been.
LION BABE has all the tools to be a sensational pop R&B artist. Jillian Hervey can belt out strong vocals, and bust out some verses that remind me of an early Fergie (whether that is good or bad is up to you). Unfortunately the production was a little overreaching on a lot of the songs. It felt like Lucas Goodman was always either trying to do too much, or not quite doing enough. The lyrics on the album were not bad, but also showed no sign of progression. I felt like I was almost listening to her say the same things over and over.
I enjoyed Childish Gambino’s verse on “Jump Hi”, and that was a strong track to me all around.
Overall it was an interesting listen. These two musicians truly have a huge amount of talent. I enjoyed a few tracks but don’t see myself returning to this album too often.
6/10
If you're digging Lion Babe, we recommend that you check out their official website to buy their music, get tour info, and more!
AND listen to their new album "Begin" on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or whatever music player floats your boat.
NEXT WEEK's ALBUM: "HOME OF THE STRANGE"
By: YOUNG THE GIANT
Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.