Sunday 10 March 2013

Music Album: Trilogy by The Weeknd

The Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) has swiftly become one of the music industry’s well-received revelations. The 22 year old Ethiopian-Canadian started out making a name on the free music circuit with no momentous results. The singer released three EPs – House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which garnered him decent recognition and acclaim. However, he became even more popular when his music caught the attention of rap superstar, Drake - who posted a link to his music on twitter. The move not only promoted his music to a wider audience, considering the fact that Drake has close to ten million followers, but it also secured the singer a spot on the rapper's OVO (October's Very Own) record label.

The official first single of the album is the solemn ballad – Wicked Games, a tale about the reciprocities of love, where he sings about what his lover needs to bring in order to receive the love she needs from him. It contains some very dark lyrics, as he sings: ‘bring your love baby, I could bring my shame/bring the drugs baby, I could bring my pain/I’ve got my heart right here’ – the production suits the dark theme of the song which added a bit of edge and made it a great story to tell. On songs about love, he treads on the territory minimally, but continues to explore the heartbreak zone perfectly as proven in songs like Gone, Next and The Knowing. His luscious vocals are delivered in a way that is perfectly suited for songs about seduction and the art of love making. On the first three lines of the opening verse of Outside, he sings: ‘I’ll let you show me his moves, let you do what he taught you, let you reminisce on how you use to do’ - he delivers his naughtiest side on the song, proving once again why he is deemed to be praised as a composer and songwriter, as the production compliments the story he is telling. The seductive songs keep on coming as he delivers excellently on What You Need, The Morning and The Zone (featuring Drake).

Trilogy is very much an r&b album with influences from the soul, hip-hop, folk and new age genres, or what the music industry now calls hipster r&b – which could be described as a blend of the commercial appeal of Usher and the storytelling of Tracy Chapman. The 30 track album offers a tremendous musical journey. Though it has its exhaustive moments, it still proves to be an enjoyable listening experience.
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