Remember Your North Star

Remember Your North Star is a pleasant R&B record to keep in the background while you’re doing something else but that too often fails to leave a strong impression. And I think that's partially due to the large amount of interludes that wanna be full songs but don’t have enough substance to be memorable in any way. It’s the first time I’m listening to Yaya Bey and I think she has a wonderful voice and is pretty talented (considering majority of this album is self written and produced), but these songs are too inoffensive to live up to her potential. The lo-fi jazzy aesthetic works for the most part, with the obvious highlight being the hypnotic “reprise”, but I think some of my favorite moments are when she’s experimenting with more lively sounds, like on the 2000s neo-soul infused “keisha” and the groovy, dance-y “pour up”. I also wish the songwriting was more consistent throughout, as I find the second half to be much more compelling and intimate, even though instrumentally I might prefer the first one. Overall, I’d say this is a decent record with a lot of good ideas that don’t pan out the best way, but I still think it’s worth checking out. Bey has a lot of potential, and I can only hope she keeps broadening her palette in the next releases.
BEST: keisha, alright, pour up, reprise, mama loves her son, blessings
WORST: don’t fucking call me