Since then Fifth harmony'small Alice in Wonderland-his inspired performance Ellie Goulding2012's “Anything Could Happen.” The X Factor semifinals, NormaniHis calm cool and subtle hustle have cut through the noise. Over the next decade, that noise evolved — from the racism he encountered (from within and outside of her band) as the only black girl in Fifth Harmony to an audience that claimed to support her solo work while refusing to acknowledge the personal circumstances that caused her years of delay.
On the arduous seven-year road to her debut solo studio album, she periodically turned up the heat with breakout moments — like this iconic “Love Lies” show. at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards or her first solo music video in 2019 Ariana Grande-wrote “Motivation”. However, its sensual appeal Janet Jackson, Chiara and Aaliyah has always been the anchor of Normani's artistic profile and it is this palette that she meticulously expands throughout dopamine.
Arriving June 14, along with an album shoot inspired by the dominatrix-lite imagery of Jackson's 2008 album Discipline, dopamine finds Normani properly establishing her solo sound for the first time time, embracing and strengthening the pieces of her identity that were flattened in her production with Fifth Harmony. She paints fearless self-portraits of her sexuality in a soundscape that combines her love of '00s Southern hip-hop with Janet's intricate vocal stacks and Cognacas well as the smooth rap-sung songs of Aaliyah and Beyoncé.
Relative to her peers, Normani's social media presence is particularly limited. Her recent promo in the months leading up dopamine is the most she's spoken to the public since her 'Wild Side' promo was released in 2021, which had Cardi B-assisted the track to a No. 14 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of playing the forever-doomed game that is the blog circuit, Mani is using her music to issue a public service announcement about who exactly we're dealing with dopamine.
“Bling-bling-blow, that's all them platinum hits/ Bling-bling-blow, that's all that Advertising sign st,” spits the filthy Starrah-assisted opener, “Big Boy.” On a colossal bass with funny horns, Normani immediately sets up shop in the South, checking out icons like Andre 3000, Big Boi and The pimp G, while boasting that they “feed you corn.” Fifth Harmony may have been made up entirely of women of color, but Normani's particular identity—'00s Southern Black culture—didn't often get a chance to shine. With dopamineNormani makes it a point to bring these parts of herself into focus, reclaiming the past ten years spent in an industry that would rather plunder the South for its sound than use its resources to empower these artists.
That southern flair comes through on “Still,” in which Mani floats over an atmospheric twist of Mike Jones' “Still Tippin.” Lead single “1:59” and de facto ballad moment “Distance” help dopamine flash forward from '00's influences to late '10's via melody Guna characteristic in the first and heavy trap drums in the second. One of the album's lyrical highlights, the Sevyn Streeter-Wrote 'Distance', it addresses both an inconsistent lover and the tension that exists between the artist and their fans and the industry in general.
“Distance” also happens to be the only record that could have benefited from moving away from the dominant synth production to give her voice more room to fully display her vulnerable tone. Pre-release single “Candy Paint” is another track where the vision is clear, but the execution falters slightly: It's a dance-ready beat that doesn't explode on its final chorus like it should. Missed Opportunity doesn't completely bring the song to its knees, but it shows how dopamine occasionally sacrificing sonic variation for the sake of coherence.
In the same way “Candy Paint” is reminiscent of Ciara's dance hits, of dopamine The most sensual moments are reminiscent of Janet Jackson's sexual liberation of the 00s. Standout “All Yours” entertains with rich vocal stacks that build a world where sexual gratification nomograms are the dominant language. “In your head like, mm-ah, mm-ah/ In your bed like, mm-ah, mm-ah,” he whispers. “Lights On” continues on this sensual path, with Victoria Monét lending her Grammy-winning pen for sly doubles like “You're related to a star, give me a round of applause.” With a seductive spoken word break to boot, “Lights On” is Janet Jackson's offspring from second to last.
In her quest to put her own spin on these designs, Normani incorporates other sonic influences in some surprising ways. There are glimpses of it Rated R-time Rihanna to the soulful pop-rock of the thrilling album closer, “Little Secrets”—”Wild Side” feels more like an encore—and the Grammy-winning cross-famed James Blake helps Mani shift her sound towards his cool electronica FKA branches to the hauntingly beautiful “Tantrums”.
However, it's Brandy's signature ethereal approach to vocal stacks that dominates throughout dopamine – most notably on 'Insomnia', on which she appears to provide gorgeous countermelodies and harmonies, giving her latest star pupil an official co-sign with her presence.
At times, the wait for Normani's debut solo studio album threatened to permanently overshadow whatever pop culture impact the LP itself would end up making, but dopamine she cuts through the noise by simply reinforcing the fundamentals of her craft. There's nothing as Top 40-driven as “Motivation” or as folksy as “Dancing With a Stranger,” and that's for the better. dopamine heralds Normani as an artist with a fully realized sound.
While the record often shies away from exploring Normani the Person – perhaps saving some of that for album No. 2 – it undoubtedly solves the mystery of Normani the Artist, after years of singles pointing in a myriad of different directions. A smooth, concise listen that is unique to its artist, dopamine it's a win for Normani and a win for fans who always believed she was capable of making such a strong record.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/normani-finally-introduces-sensual-world-long-awaited-debut-album-dopamine-review-1235712747/
