The new album from Rize Michael, i can’t wait to know you, always is a vibrant exploration of love, longing, and personal growth — complemented by a magnetic array of soulful vocal interplay, lush guitars, and dynamic pop sensibilities. An engaging emotional landscape results, feeling both intimate and expansive. Contributions from Shaudie Man, Steven Joseph, Parker Howard, and Chris X add depth and variety, blending hip-hop, indie-pop, and inventive production touches.
Riveting in a dynamic soundscape that spans from harmonious vocal hooks to concluding string-laden grandeur, opening track “freckled n flush” is exemplary of Rize Michael’s knack for quality songcraft. “I hear 32 birds and they all sound just like you do,” layered vocal soulfulness let out, as glistening guitars bolster more fast-paced vocal introspection thereafter. The “then I saw you freckled n flush” push resembles a love-at-first-sight allure, while the expressive vocal variety and balmy instrumentation fondly reminds of Frank Ocean. The lyrical laments, of struggling to find love in the aftermath of a break-up, pair with serene melodic immersion for a fantastic album opener.
Another standout track arrives quickly in “neptune,” audibly resembling a summer breeze in its fluttering guitars and bouncy rhythms as swooning “like you” vocals traverse alongside. “Eyes glisten like a meteor shower,” smitten vocal sentiments unveil, capturing a carpe-diem enthrallment with youth, love, and endless imagination on the sun-kissed horizon. The ensuing “chattahoochee vampires” continues to engage, featuring sharp production from Parker Howard as island-set guitars, playful whistles, and magnetic vocals intertwine with replay-inducing impact.
The album consistently delights in its harmonious vocal interactions, particularly on “things you wouldn’t say,” where heightened vocal recollections infuse amidst more debonair tones as chirpy guitars play serenely underneath. Shaudie Man’s smooth pop and rap synergy enamors especially within the colorful production, whose “wanna kick it with you” yearning is reflective of a relationship with initial promise that reaches an untimely demise. “put me thru” also proves charismatic in its stylistic fusion, pairing “you don’t call me no more” infectious pop grips between angsty hip-hop verses.
The album maintains a steady entrancement throughout, from hooky pop standouts like “things you wouldn’t say” to the moody “hope exists,” where jazzy guitars and lounge-set piano combine with vocal contemplations concerning the existence of true love. Album finale “where you go” also excels, melding enthusiastic vocal soulfulness with late-night guitar swipes. Full of excellent songwriting and vocal work, i can’t wait to know you, always is a thorough success from Rize Michael.
