Justin Love is back at it again. Just in time for the summer, the smooth singer from the Garden State has finally dropped his highly anticipated EP When Love Returns. And as expected, it definitely does not disappoint. However despite the long wait, Justin did not leave us empty handed. In the meantime, he dropped what can be seen as the “prequel” to When Love Returns, his EP Until Love Returns which he released on February 14th.
Until Love Returns definitely gave us a taste of what was to come, giving off the same smooth, R&B, hip hop vibes with a perfectly balanced undercurrent of soul. Focusing on the same themes in tracks such as My Girl, The Weekend and Love Galore, we see Justin dealing with issues of love and romance, with him finessing the game with some undoubtedly smooth lyrics. We also see Justin showing off a side we don’t often get to see, with him flexing his rapping skills as he lays an open free verse over the instrumental of Musiq Soulchild’s iconic Just Friends. Justin also gives us a direct hint of what is to come as he includes the track Sober, which also appears on When Love Returns.
However, back to When Love Returns, this is Justin’s most recent EP which was released three weeks ago on June 14th. As expected, we get a classic JLove flare with a compilation of contemporary hip-hop, R&B, rap inspired beats. However, here we get a more grown up sound and content from Justin as he deals more explicitly with themes of love, lust and romance. This can be seen on tracks such as Stripper Girl, Models and Close Enough. Looking at these three tracks, we can see the two different sides of the EP Justin presents. With Close Enough, we see a soulful and more romantic Justin which is reflected in the slower tempo of the song, with a softer and more soul inspired melody. This can be compared to Models which deals more explicitly with themes of lust and presents a more sultry, upbeat, hip-hop vibe.
One of my favourite tracks on this whole EP has got to be Famous. For me, this is one track where Justin’s vocals come through bigger and better than ever and we can truly get a sense of his vocal talent with his falsettos, range and vocal control shining through. In this velvety smooth R&B track, Justin appears to be singing with ease and candour as he tells the listener his feelings on love and relationships, now he is on the come up and gaining more attention. Here, he talks about gaining support from his future bae “Baby you know I’m ‘bout to be famous. I know you know ‘cause you tell me that i’m the greatest”. And he goes on to talk about how all he needs is a ride or die kind of gal as he says “Baby I’m with it, that’s all you need to say”. I think this track is particularly poignant in today’s social media age where, as Justin appears to be alluding to, fame and status can end up taking over, resulting a lot of “Fake Love” in the words of Drake.
So definitely go and give Justin Love a listen because he definitely does not disappoint, and this smooth, relaxing R&B EP is perfect for the summer!
Find him on Soundcloud and Instagram @officialjustinlove and Twitter @_isinghiphop
Post By Stevie Carter
BUSK MUSIC 