- Ugh, those feels again

I love Snoh's voice, I really do. That irreplicable grit gives her such a vinyly depth that pretty much no matter what she's on, it's better for it. She was my artist to look out for in 2014, and every year, whether or not she puts out music, and whether or not I like it, I'm excited to see what she does next. 

Although her vibe has been a pretty consistent moody R&B throughout her 5 year tenure since There Will Be Sunshine, she's really sharpened and expanded it in the last 2. Full-on melancholy has been replaced by groovier accompaniments, and with it a feeling of optimism. Melancholy or not, I hope she's writing from the heart, but (purely from an A&R perspective) her optimistic music seems to have more longevity than the previous wails of love lost.

For a bit more context, -Ugh, those feels again is the follow up to 2017s Feels, a similar offering but with a heavier focus on unique instrumentation. This time around, though, the instrumentation takes a backseat to the reverberation, i.e. the vibe drives the album. Exploration was to Feels what comfort is to -Ugh, and where Feels left off on a note of letting go, -Ugh picks up with the notion of holding on to something new. 

Ironically, the album slowly moves from casual interest to admittance of love to remittance of love - all the while maintaining an undertone of reluctance to fully commit - as if she knows better. 

And while the sultry Swede does do a great job of expressing her feels of non-committance through her songwriting and music selection, her delivery doesn't quite do it the justice it deserves, which brings me to my major criticism of the album, and of Snoh in general:

She won't commit to the note. I'll say it again because it bears repeating - I love her voice - but, after 4 songs in a row of her cutting off her notes to trail into her little false vibrato runs, you just start to get kind of... bored. Like, all the pieces are there - the bass line is groovin, the drums have your head bobbin, the high end has you in your feels, and the producer's carved out a nice little pocket for her voice; you're singing along, and you're ready for that part where you just shamelessly belt it out... but it never comes. It's comfortable; it's safe; and it leaves kind of a forgetful taste in your mouth for what, on paper, should've been a great meal.

Hear me out; by no means is this a forgetful work, especially if this is your first time hearing her music. Most of the tracks would be right at home as part of the score to whatever the 2019 equivalent of Love & Basketball is, and they'll get you through a tough night in your feels if that's what you need, but half the album feels as much like ambience as it does foreground. I don't need you to go full Elle Varner, Snoh, but good R&B can't be smooth jazz - hit those notes.

Nonetheless, whatever criticism I have can not overcome the fact that I just keep listening to it. Reason would have me say that, if on her next album, she would take the risk and really sing, she would be contender for AOTY, but the fact of the matter is that despite it's perceived shortcomings, I love this one for what it is.

Rating: 8

Favorite Song: Here Now