Sierra Ellis Digs Deep and Gets Classic With A Fresh R&B Record
A new album released from Sierra Ellis digs pretty deep into a lot of her persona and showcases that character with a very full-bodied approach, unafraid, showcasing certain elements of vulnerability, but also massive amounts of bravery at the same time.
This is an album that gives pieces of the artist to the listener. That's important. She wants you to understand more about her, but in the meantime, this is a record that feels like it's cathartic for her to record and release. These are topics, a bit of raw emotion, and thoughts that she needed to get off her chest, and she decided to use her music as that outlet.
This is something I absolutely revel in because when you hear songs like this, you start connecting with them in different ways.
Some of that pure honesty that comes through and the way that she articulates her lyrics give you stories, and as those stories unfold, you get more pieces of Sierra along the way.
In a lot of ways, this is a pretty powerful record. Or it's empowering, I should say.
As I said before, it takes a lot of bravery to be able to put yourself out there in such a raw format and do so with the absolutely soulful performances that are strewn across this entire release.
Songs like "Unfortunate" give you some of that vulnerability right upfront, but it's done in this almost neo-soul and R&B crossover approach that pulls you in with elements of classic and new styles.
As you listen through the record, you start to pick up on some of the many influences that Sierra must hold close to her heart, and when I hear it, I definitely hear some classic R&B coming through a lot of the time.
Her vocals can be a little more subtle or delicate, but while she's telling these stories, she can also get more intense.
Her performance across a lot of the songs on the record gives you this beautiful tone and texture. Her voice compliments a lot of the instrumentation naturally, but the tone of her voice is almost soothing, in a sense.
"Denial" is a perfect example of utilizing those old-school R&B and hip-hop influences. This is a classic beat, and she's really putting her flow over it.
She still gets a little personal on tracks like this, but her natural ability to create vocal melodies and flows is just unbelievable.
These are the biggest attributes that get pulled into it, aside from the character that it puts out there.
I definitely dig a record that goes deep the way this one does. She's not really over the top with it; she's just not putting up walls around it either.
She's not really scared to speak or sing her mind. I find that super refreshing and one of the aspects of the record that wrapped itself around me.
"Ocean" is maybe one of my favorite tracks and most experimental on the record, giving a completely different vibe, nothing old school about this one, but it's got this unique approach both musically and vocally that is very pinned down.
It's beautifully performed, and she gets edgier on it. This also shows how she's not really too afraid to let out a little power.
This is a track that sort of doesn't back down. It hits harder than some of the other ones in terms of the lyrics.
So, she's giving you all these different sides of that personality throughout this record.
This is why I suggest listening to the entire thing all the way through.
Yes, some of the songs, like the ones I've already mentioned in particular, stand out amazingly as singles on their own two feet, no problem.
However, you're not going to get the full story or that full personality, experience all the different energy levels and textures, or dig through some of those stories, unless you listen to the full album.
I feel like it was meant to be heard as a whole, not just in pieces.
This is a 10-song record that spans about 31 minutes in length.
It's not super long, and it's incredibly worth diving into and checking out because there's a lot to chew on here.
The album is outstanding, once again, breeding elements of both subtlety, softness, empowerment, strength, edginess, and vulnerability, all in one.
If you grew up listening to classic R&B and hip-hop, then you were going to love a lot of this record as well for that one simple reason.
They're keeping things slightly old-school but also portraying a fresher approach at the same time.
The record is packed with gorgeous vocal performances, some great harmonies, silky tones, and you just don't want to miss it.
So, stop what you're doing, check this record out, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
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