“Intention” Album Review | Consummate Professionalism, Volume 5

Welcome to my music review series, Consummate Professionalism. This is Volume #5; in it, I’ll be reviewing “Intention” by Watsky. The end of an era for an amazing musical artist, this album is one that I had a lot of fun reviewing. I hope you’ll have a good time reading it!


Intention
By Watsky

Produced by Watsky, Camila Recchio, Kush Mody, et al.

Genre: Rap
Subgenre(s): Pop Rap, Rock Rap, Spoken Word
Record Type: Album

Summary

Whew. I have a lot to say about this album. Full disclosure, I have indeed heard of and listened to Watsky long before listening to this, and am quite familiar with some of his other works. Know, though, that I will be just as honest and impartial in my criticism as I would be with any other artist. Part of that means that I’ve reviewed this album as if I’d never heard of him before, and this is the first of his works that I’ve ever listened to. Keep this in mind, for it comes into play later.

“Intention” is one wild ride of an album. It’s the musical equivalent of going on a cross-country road trip with a group of your best friends since childhood. It takes you on a journey of sorts; the raw passion and emotion displayed throughout truly makes you feel like it’s become your friend in a way. Some of the songs just go hard, and you can actually feel Watsky’s passion through the speakers. It’s something that’s hard for me to express to you in words, but rather would be best understood through experiencing it yourself.

This album also contains an array of features and collaborations with other great artists. Most notably, T-pain and Rachel Zegler make bold appearances on two different tracks, an ensemble that’d be outstanding for just about any artist able to make it happen. But what makes it special is that Watsky is able to hold his own with such big names in music on the record. The cynical layperson would be led to believe that Watsky hired on more popular artists for the clout, letting them do all the heavy lifting, but the exact opposite is true. This is Watsky’s album, and he is the one that makes it as great as it is.

Another defining feature is the audio. Watsky and his producers appear to have gone through great lengths to make the songs as high-quality as possible, and it goes above and beyond in some of the ways it does this. I’ve seen chart-topping hits with instrumentals that weren’t nearly as well-polished as these songs have. From the audio panning effects to the eclectic mix of guitar, drums, and saxophone; all of its elements come together in a most remarkable way.

This record is not without its faults though, to put it lightly. The first one, surely to be the most noticeable for most listeners, is Watsky’s vocal skills, or lack thereof. I don’t want to say he’s a bad singer, but his narrow vocal range leaves a lot to be desired at times; he’s a rapper, first and foremost, and that definitely shows. If he was a little bit more careful on how he sings some of those melodies, or perhaps let someone else hop on the track in certain places, then this album would be a lot more appealing.

The second is that the album starts off strong, but then wanes quite a bit in the second half. There’s a reason for this, I think. Remember how I said that I’ve made a note to review this album as it stands, without the context of being a fan of his? That’s especially important here, because he relies way too heavily on fan service to carry the album through its faults. The first nine tracks were released as a standalone album, the second half originally only discovered through a series of puzzles on his website. That shows, because there is a stark contrast between the two. The first half is a great standalone work, worthy of a world of praise, while the second half is mostly fan service and filler. Those songs aren’t bad, per se, but most are quite forgettable, only memorable through callbacks and references that only decade-long fans of his would understand. If I were to only review the first nine songs—which I very nearly did, mind you—it would get top marks. But it’s my artistic duty to review the entire album, so as a whole, this could’ve been much better.

All in all, for all its faults, this is a solid piece of music, definitely worth a good listening to. Though it sort of dips in quality toward the end, the quality of the stronger tracks is enough to make up for it. This isn’t the type of album that you should just throw on in the background. If you can, put on some good headphones, relax, and let the music move you. That’s Watsky’s intention, after all.

Rating

Overall Rating:

69/100

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This is a good album, worthy of a healthy amount of respect and admiration. Great bars, great melodies, great features, and great production value make for a repeat-worthy album. I can’t express in words how these songs make me feel. Even if you don’t like the genre, I think it’s worth a good shot, as this is a very unique album stylistically.
Though I’ll admit, I was conflicted trying to figure out what to rate this. A good record is supposed to be more than the sum of its parts, but the opposite appears to be true. Split the album into two halves, and the first one becomes a certified hit, while the second half becomes coffee shop fodder. For a die-hard fan of his, this might be considered a masterpiece, as it appears to be intended as a swan song album, paying homage to his dedicated and steadfast fan base.This isn’t bad, but it feels like he forgot that he needs to make it a good album too.
If he’d paid more attention to that, perhaps leaving the deep cuts for a standalone mixtape, and also worked on his vocals and vocal range a bit more, I suspect this score would be somewhere in the 80s or 90s. But as a whole, this is the score I feel it deserves.

Song Quality:

8/10

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The individual tracks on this album range from “eh, it’s alright” to “this is amazing, why hasn’t this hit the charts yet?”. But the quality of the better tracks is more than enough to offset the quality of the weaker tracks. Even the more forgettable ones aren’t bad, by any means; they definitely have their place, they just don’t compare to any of the others.

Flow/Transition:

5/10

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The lyrics and the poetic meaning stays consistent and cohesive throughout, which is one of the more commendable features of this record. On the other hand, while the sound and style of the songs are pretty consistent as well, a few errant songs are placed in rather awkward spots in the track list. Most notably, this happens with the song “SO FAMOUS”; while it’s undoubtedly one of the best songs on the whole album, it’s placed in between two songs that are quite different stylistically from it. I feel like a well-placed skit or two would be good to fix this discrepancy, but alas, there are none to be found. It could be a lot worse, though, and most of the album flows smoothly except for those few tracks.

Technical Quality:

7/10

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The production quality of this album is not quickly forgotten. The audio panning and beautifully mixed and mastered instrumentals make for a powerful listening experience. The only substantial fault is Watsky’s vocals. He strains to hit the notes in higher octaves like he was intending, and it might be considered off-putting to some listeners. 

Lyrics:

9/10

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The lyrics are powerful and meaningful throughout, even in those less memorable tracks. They’re so good that they could stand alone as their own work of poetry. A heartfelt and prosaic series of carefully strung together bars makes for a great experience for those listeners that look for the deeper meanings to songs.

Bonus Scores

Tell-a-friend:

2.5/5

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This is an album that’s quite likely to come up in conversation at some point after having listened to it. The high production quality and skillfully-crafted instrumentals make this an album that you just want to vibe out with your friends to. But on the other hand, some might say it gets boring as it goes along, which might make them reluctant to present it to others.

Replay Value:

4.5/5

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This album is meant to be played on loop. I’m not the kind of person who listens to things on repeat a lot, but I’ve listened to this album probably four times since I started with this review, and some of the more memorable singles even more than that. Additionally, this is one of those things where you might not “get it” at first, but grows on you once you let it sit and you give it another shot. Every time you listen to it, it gets a little bit better, I think.

Originality:

5/5

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In terms of uniqueness, I don’t think I’ve ever heard an album that was quite like this one. I struggled to find some genres and subgenres that I could put at the head of this Volume, because there’s nothing else I can really compare it to. The way the lyrics, the melodies, and the beats are strung together makes for a really distinct piece of music.

Best Track:

AWW SHiT (#4)

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This song is a banger if I’ve ever seen one. The beat and the flow are solid, and the lyrics on top of that create a sort of synergy to make this not only the best song on the album, but one of the best new songs I’ve heard in a while. This one is a shoo-in for the Top 100, for sure.

Comparable to:

Childish Gambino, Dumbfoundead, Logic

Vibes:

Goes hard, Cult classic music

Stats

Runtime:

 00:56:16.00

Average Track Length:

 00:03:07.56

Content Warning(s):

Strong language

Number of Tracks:

18

Maturity:

14+

“All My Love And Lack Thereof” Album Review | Consummate Professionalism, Volume 1

Welcome to my music review series, Cosummate Professionalism. This is Volume #1; in it, I’ll be reviewing “All My Love And Lack Thereof” by Jessica Haya. The artist was so gracious as to allow me to listen to this album pre-release; I hope to do it justice by painting an accurate picture of it for those who are eagerly anticipating listening to it.


A portrait of the artist, Jessica Haya.

All My Love And Lack Thereof
By
Jessica Haya

Produced by Chris Doms

Genres: Rock, Soul
Subgenre(s): Indie Rock, Soft Rock, Ballad
Record Type:
Album

Summary

I must say, this is quite the album to start off this series with. I went into this first one with no context, no prior knowledge, and basically zero expectations of what I would hear upon first listening. This was a conscious decision, made so that I could capture the raw emotions as the artist intended. That’s something I don’t usually do, but I believe it paid off in this case.

“All My Love And Lack Thereof” is a solid album, and one that takes you through a journey of emotions and thoughts that I think many will enjoy. The songs are eclectic, powerful, and manage to all have a distinct sound, while still being connected by one general unifying theme: love, self-acceptance, recovery, and healing. Though I do have mixed feelings about it in the more poetic respects, what it lacks in lyricism and poise it makes up for in technical expertise and craftsmanship.

The defining quality would definitely have to be the vocals. Haya has a vibrant, scintillating voice that is comparable to those of the most accomplished singers in the industry. Think of Idina Menzel mixed with Adele; add a dash of Hayley Williams, and you have Jess Haya. The tracks themselves are composed in a multitude of different subgenres, making it a bit difficult to pin down one specific sound or quality throughout, though the general theme can be summed up as a sort of soft indie rock.

In my opinion, the standout track “Fuck Me” is the defining song of the album. It’s a catchy, upbeat track, that’s sure to have you humming along to the melody throughout your day. It’s a song that upon a casual listen sounds like a run-of-the-mill music comedy bop, but is really a gleeful proclamation of the narrator’s unapologetic self-acceptance and refusal to bend to the whims of her admirers. This is a nice touch that cleverly weaves the outlying sleeper single of the album into the overall theme of the other songs.

Though not for everyone, “All My Love And Lak Thereof” will definitely find a welcome home in the hearts of many an avid music listener. I would absolutely love to see this turned into a musical or film of some sort, à la Purple Rain; such a production is a shoo-in for a new cult classic.

Rating

Overall Rating:

85/100

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This is a really good album, and is one of those records that gets better every time it’s listened to. The songs are catchy, the lyrics are meaningful, and the vocals are pristine. I decided not to give it a higher score for two reasons. First, some of the lyrics can come off as corny or cliché at times. Second, the tracks could be organized better, and occasionally it feels like the record lacks a coherent sound. These issues are not nearly enough to ruin the listening experience, though.

Song Quality:

9/10

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The songs are generally very enjoyable and easy to listen to, especially when listened to individually, outside of the context of the album. Many of these songs have a certain superstar quality to them, and a je ne sais quoi that adds to the powerful listening experience. “Parachute”, “My Design”, “Thank You”; I would not be the least bit surprised if at least one of these songs becomes a chart-topping single at some point.

Flow/Transition:

6.5/10

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Though the individual songs on the album are generally very good, it sometimes feels like the songs don’t come together to form something better than the sum of its parts, as an album should. Songs like “Smile Too” and “Fuck Me” come off as disjointed singles in an otherwise cohesive album. It could be a lot worse, and for me personally it doesn’t at all take away from the quality of the album. Nonetheless, I feel like Haya and her team could have done a better job at organizing the tracks. I still give it a score of 6.5 because most of the songs really do flow into each other nicely, and it’s an album that I can picture being played on repeat over and over again. Perhaps if the aforementioned singles had been added in as bonus tracks, or even just placed in a different order, it would get a higher score in this area. Don’t let this stop you from listening to the album, though.

Technical Quality:

8.5/10

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Haya, as well as whoever helped her compose these tracks, clearly have an eye for detail that that will come as a pleasant surprise to more astute music aficionados. The album starts off with the iconic “C#, E, G#, E” riff; composed like a classic sonata, this whole song sets the tone for the album. The track “Letting Go” contains some ASMR-inducing Left/Right stereo panning that displays an additional eye for detail. The backing guitarist and drummer are also noteworthy, displaying a worthy eye for music theory and giving the album a more down-to-earth indie sound. There are more examples contained within, but these are the most prominent; I’ll let you discover the rest on your own.

Lyrics:

6/10

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The lyrics are generally decent, and occasionally brilliant. The most notable of the latter would have to be “My Design”, as well as some other lines interspersed throughout the other songs. Regrettably, though, this is probably the weakest element of the album. Though not bad by any means, a lot of the lines can come off as histrionic, dramatic, or corny. They’re the kind of lines that you might hear a high schooler in musical theater try to improvise. Though not significantly bad enough to sour the album, and though it ersonally didn’t bother me too much, it it could definitely leave a bad taste in the mouths of some listeners (though some might enjoy it even more for the same reasons).

Bonus Scores

Tell-a-friend:

4/5

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There are a couple hit tracks on this album that really stand out, worthy of being played for anyone that will listen. The sheer power of Haya’s voice makes you wonder why you need to tell people about her in the first place, why people don’t know about her already.

Replay Value:

4/5

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The songs here are fresh and easy to listen to; They aren’t the kind of songs that you just listen to once, think “hey, that’s pretty good!” and then skip over. A lot of the tracks are extremely catchy and certifiably replay-worthy, in a way akin to the most popular mainstream hits. In fact, as I type this, the song “Thank You” has been stuck in my head for hours, the chorus playing in my mind on repeat. I’m sure that such will be the case for many other new listeners, too.

Originality:

3.5/5

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Though reminiscent of other more mainstream artists, Haya has a signature sound that’s hard to put into words. As an example, I brought my partner into the room, gave her no context whatsoever about the album, played a small clip from one of the tracks, and asked “who do you think wrote this song?”. The response I got was, and I quote, “I don’t know; that doesn’t sound like anyone else I’ve heard”. So you see, “All My Love And Lack Thereof” is definitely not lacking in je ne sais quoi. It doesn’t have a higher score in this area, though, because the actual topic and message of the songs aren’t particularly original, per se, and nothing new or innovative is technically done throughout.

Best Track:

#5. “Fuck Me”*

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If I had to put my money on one track, it would be this one. Don’t let the vulgar title fool you; as mentioned above, what at first appears to be just a run-of-the-mill, shock value romantic comedy track actually includes an important message of self-acceptance that I think a lot of women need to hear. “Fuck me” has just the right amount of wit and comedy, balanced with distinct subtext and musical finesse. *A very close second is the track “Thank You”, the 12th and final song on the album. Though I personally enjoy it slightly more than the former, is definitively more unique, and thus has a range of appeal, for lack of a better phrase.

Comparable to:

Adele, Florence + The Machine, Idina Menzel,
Sixpence None The Richer, Imogen Heap

Vibes:

Broadway musical, melodrama, empowerment/motivation,
debut album, cult fanbase

Stats

Runtime:

00:42:17.00

Average Track Length:

00:03:31.42

Content Warning(s):

Mild strong language, sexual themes

Number of Tracks:

12

Maturity:

14+