Will McClean - Album Review: Can't Sleep I'm Dreaming
The new album from Will McClean takes a lot of well-produced beats and combines them with his flow and lyrics. It's a smooth ride most of the time as is demonstrated in the opening track Front Desk featuring JClean.
Hand picked beats from a range of producers and beat makers allows Will McClean to focus on his vocals and lyrics that tell his stories. At times though, some of these didn't make a lot of sense to me. And that's fine. I don't have to understand everything and I don't believe that it's my place to discredit anything he does artistically. To even things out, there are plenty of tracks here where he spills his heart out through rhyme and poetry. It is worth mentioning that his flow and delivery is solid. I hear a lot of influences, one being Home Brew's Tom Scott.
The authentic delivery, not over hyped or yelling deserves credit. And still, when it's required he's not afraid to go there. There are softer songs with guest artists to allow that side to show. The selection of his beats are fantastic and showcases an artist that is capable of hearing something and figuring out how to approach it. An example of this is the track Healing.
A solid release worthy of your attention. I like the diversity here and the thoughtfulness of his lyrics when they describe in detail his life and feelings. Dream/Cold Coffee is a perfect example of this. There is a lot to love here and I have a lot of respect for any artist who puts their heart out on their sleeve.
About Will McClean
Whilst being the ultimate hype man, Will’s main priority, however, is clarifying who, exactly, he represents. The short answer is his family and his friends.
Will’s late father was the frontman for a band that formed in the 80’s called The Vacuum and is a key drive of McClean’s inspiration to continue his musical legacy. Having also been surrounded by music in his home for the majority of his life, Will says “with Mum blasting artists like Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill and Fat Freddy’s Drop all day, everyday; I used to be rapping and singing along and it ultimately made me gravitate to creating some flows for myself.” His ever expanding musical inspirations consist of the likes of Loyle Carner, Tom Scott and J. Cole to name a few.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Will McClean
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