Review: Sevyn Streeter - Drunken Wordz Sober Thoughtz
Photo credit: Bonnie Nichoalds
With the release of her sophomore album, Sevyn Streeter has cemented herself as one of this generation's top billing female R&B talents. RNB Nerd would not be RNB Nerd if I just gave up on reviewing this project. I NEEDED to write this review, so I hope you will join me and let’s dive into it!
Photo credit: Bonnie Nichoalds
“End Up” immediately sets the tone of the album; it is mysterious and does well at creating a space for Sevyn to let us know what to expect within the rest of the set (“I’m a bad bitch, I make bad decisions. I'm the type to make a ni**ga think I’m giving him my heart and then I keep it”). Sevyn has a way of leading with those guitar heavy tracks that range from the vulnerable to the aggressive. “End” kind of falls somewhere in the middle and flawlessly mixes into the next record.
“Fall Back” featuring Lavish is another definitive track for the album. It exemplifies the heavy use of alternative elements throughout the record. Not to mention we hear Sevyn delivering one of her grittiest vocal deliveries to date. Hearing the reach of her raspy tone as it rides the beat, it is hard to ignore that beautiful accompanying soprano courtesy of Dominic Scott, that echoes around Sevyn.
“Guilty” featuring Chris Brown and A$AP Ferg - The sequencing on Drunken Wordz is done so flawlessly, it becomes more apparent with the build of each track. Such as following up “Fall Back” with “Guilty” feels so perfect. I couldn’t see another record from the project fitting better for a few reasons. One, it turns the focus back on the more tender side of love and relationships and two, it brings the listener back to all the main elements of SOLID R&B that we come to expect from Sevyn (and the featured collaborators). “Guilty” has so much to celebrate and years after its initial release, I still don’t think I will ever fully be over this record. The melodies, the harmonies, the VOCAL STACKING, the iconic sample, JUST everything about this record is “tens across the board”.
“Tell It” resonated with me IMMEDIATELY and was a nice come down from the hype energy of “Guilty”. But make no mistake, the soul is still there, and you can bop your head to this one. The ad-libs made me go crazy while the background vocals conjure some solid R&B. In her mid-tempos, you get the full Sevyn flavor, the way she goes from restraint to fully drawn-out vocal runs only the way she does it. The second verse is the sweet spot, especially at the tail end. One of the shorter records on the project, it can be easy to lose sight of the record's message amongst the elements, but it is there. A sad one at that :( If you didn’t catch it the first time, go back through and listen to the heartbreak, it’s worth a gander. This record caught some recent controversy and it breaks my heart, seeing as I love this record so much. I believe and hope that things can work out for all involved; this record is too great to be tarnished by anything.
"Feel A Way" is an important moment on the project. It not only shifts the mood from the string of sexy straight-shooting R&B to another alternative moment that sounds like it could fit right into the landscape of modern pop. The distorted and faded vocals placed on the chorus give the song something that is only explainable in my mind as holographic. I love all the sounds layered together, the record packs many energetic punches that are perfectly timed to craft an engaging song that makes me want to TURN UP! But like, softly, you know?
"Nasty Girl" featuring BIA can be described as a culmination of what makes Drunken the project that it is. The opening of the record is unconventional sounding, and the melodies don’t tell you where the record is going right away. You must ride the wave a little bit before it makes sense. Once we get to that chorus, you get your “aha” moment and realize - “THIS is a banger”. BIA blends so smoothly with the cadence of the track. I loved all the promo Sevyn did for this record, so I am going to feature a live performance here instead of the audio!
“Wet Dreamz” featuring Jeremih is like come on, we know Sevyn wouldn’t give us a blatant song title and then not deliver on the writing front. During the promo rounds for the project, this song was a constant topic of conversation. Kicking up the provocative nature of a song titled this way, the music video ups the ante with that undeniable chemistry between her and co-star, Jeremih. His verse is D I R E C T and that’s not a bad thing! His singing keeps the steamy lyrics classy and is a nice accompaniment to Sevyn’s parts.
“In Common” finds us in the wake of some serious love making. The tone of the album sits in this pocket for a minute, and it feels relaxing to just enjoy it. After journeying from being a Nasty Girl to having Wet Dreamz, Sevyn is reflecting on the situation she finds herself in. The honest lyrics are very relatable and how she’s coping with this experience sounds natural and very human. I like these personal records that she shares because they sit nicely next to her songs on the other side of the coin.
“Change My Mind”, from the first few spins of this record, I struggled to feel a deep connection to it. I think this came from my natural gravitation toward up tempo’s more and wanting more variety in what I was hearing. But I think it would be bad on my part to ignore the saucy-soulful delivery that Sevyn’s giving us here. That is worth its weight in gold.
“Taboo” is powerful. In my life, there have been records that touch me instantly and connect me to something so powerful that there are just no words. I know it might be dramatic to say, but R&B has healed me. I am talking about real healing that makes whatever I am going through and what I have endured feel better. Starting with the music, I mean, it’s the GORGEOUS sample from Alexander O’Neal’s “If You Were Here Tonight”. Which is one of those records that has GOD in it, plain and simple. Thus, and such, “Taboo” is now one of those anointed records that goes beyond even Sevyn and her fellow creators themselves. The outpour of love and support for this record is enormous, just look at any mention of it online and in the culture. Timeless, gorgeous, R&B that has some of the strongest and unforgettable music I have heard in a very long time. I am talking about songs like Janet Jackson’s “Come Back To Me”, Mariah Carey’s “Anytime You Need a Friend”, and the like. MAJOR, HUGE songs that take hold and never fail to lend themselves to your life. If I had to go to war armed with music, THIS IS MY SWORD.
“Run To”connects with my previously mentioned sentiment; up tempos are my safe space. So, to hear “Run To” right after the romantic and sentimental “Taboo”, was a nice change of pace. Another shorter record from the project, it did what it came to do. A sick knock, accompanied by Sevyn’s bright ad-libs that give light to the darker sound of the production. The placement of “Run” is perfect too, a nice hit of some adrenaline before we settle into the slow burn that concludes the project.
“Feels” featuring Lucky Daye confirms what I have said time and time again, Lucky Daye has THE BEST collaborations EVER. Every single time he lends himself to a record, it becomes something magical. Those melodies are prominent and sit right in your ear. The dreamy production and natural sound effects give Sevyn and Lucky an enchanted platform to share some divine vocal performances. The last minute of the song is literally just them trading BVG’s that are purely angelic.
“Forever” featuring Lavish gives us yet another alternative moment and the second record to feature Lavish. As a listener, I feel the challenge to just sit back and soak in what I am hearing. This can be hard to do, when you've just listened to an entire project with sounds that you are accustomed to and can immediately register. One thing I must credit the musicians here with is, even though this can feel a little left field, they are still able to bring it back to a place that does not fully alienate the listener. Sometimes something unexpected is good.
“Liquid Courage” is what we have come to expect; Sevyn and those acoustic guitars are really something special. Sevyn never fails to go all out, baring her soul and delivering a solid vocal performance. EVERY. TIME. This record is brutally honest and insanely intimate, detailing all the specifics of a tumultuous relationship that needs to be set straight. As hurtful as this experience probably was for Sevyn, she still manages to transform it into something beautiful for us all to enjoy. AND THAT, my pals, is what Sevyn has done since the beginning.
In conclusion, I am so happy to share this review. I remember I started a note in my iPhone on an airplane with the first song back when the album dropped nearly two years ago. Then I would always try to get to it but kept pushing it to the side, knowing that one day it would be finished. This album was released in September 2021, and it is now March 2023. With all that being said, I have more faith in the timing of everything these days and trust this is all coming together when it is supposed to. I hope you all enjoy this read and can relate in some way to how I feel about the music. This project will always live in my heart and now it lives on the RNB Nerd blog :)
