On Crush, Ravyn Lenae teams up with The Internet’s Steve Lacy for an infectious groove-tinged love affair. The collaboration makes so much sense that we’re not sure how we didn’t consider it sooner.
Lacy told Beats 1’s Matt Wilkinson last year: “It was dope because she’s so young and she’s not locked into a certain style or vocal range so anything I’d give her she’s like, ‘I got you.’ It’s also a different producer side of me. It’s entirely produced by me, the first thing that I’m entirely producing. When I got the opportunity I looked at it as like—Yes, this is my Pharrell / Kelis, my Timbaland / Aaliyah, my J*Davey moment. I had to take it.”
https://twitter.com/ravynlenae/status/961785575090151430
Indeed, Lenae and Lacy do strike a sonic integrity reminiscent of the aforementioned pairings. A fitting departure from previous releases (check out 2017’s Midnight Moonlight and 2016’s Moon Shoes, if you haven’t already), the five-track EP finds the Chi-town songbird’s sound further ripening into sophistication as songs like “Closer (Ode 2 U)” and “Computer Luv”—where Lacy’s funky chord progressions reign supreme—provide an infallible backdrop to Lenae’s sparkling harmonies.
If you haven’t been keeping up since we featured her on our Artists to Watch list last year, Lenae recently wrapped up her run on SZA’s “Ctrl” tour. Her next direction? We’re not sure yet, but from the sound of this EP, we can bet it’s up.
Stream Crush below.
