Album Review: Bryson Tiller – TRAPSOUL
2 min read
What does it take to build up a huge following in the music industry nowadays? Hailing from Kentucky, Bryson Tiller’s story is shaping up to be a successful one as he took Soundcloud by storm, garnering over 35 million stream on his profile; a feat that sure got people talking, which eventually led to him being signed to a label (including a co-sign by Timabland!). After winning listeners over with his breakthrough single Don’t, and follow-up singles Sorry Not Sorry and Been That Way, Tiller has unveiled his debut LP TRAPSOUL.
Smooth yet auto-tuned vocals are laid over breathy and atmospheric soundscapes, as Tiller goes between singing and rapping his verses you get lost in his world. As he brushes on past relationships (Let ‘Em Know), and then tries to pick up somebody else’s pieces (Don’t), it’s clear that TRAPSOUL is lyrically a personal album to Tiller as he tackles life’s problems head on with his pen and paper. Been That Way is possibly the most refreshing listen on the album as it doesn’t rely on objectification and profanity, plus it’s more upbeat and lifting which was what the album needed.
While Tiller’s talent is existent through his rhymes and his beats, TRAPSOUL is not what you would call a ‘groundbreaking’ album as this territory has been marked many times before. However, there is plenty of room in the urban/rap genre for artists such as Bryson Tiller. The album needed more diversity in terms of sound and lyrics, it all just seemed to point too much in the same direction and didn’t challenge its boundaries, but Tiller will develop as his career goes forward.
