Album Review: Majid Jordan – Majid Jordan
2 min read
Majid Jordan are an outfit made up of vocalist Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman. The duo are signed to Drake’s record label OVO Sounds, something which is discernible from the very start of the record. Their debut album is definitely accreditable, but although they’re far from copycats, the feeling that they could have done more to define or personalize themselves can’t be ignored.
The pair’s eponymous release makes for a somewhat whimsical listen. There are times when their dark, alternative take on R&B radiates, with standout track Something About You enforcing their ability to make hits, even without a guest verse from Mr OVO himself, who is featured on the interpersonal song My Love. But the pair appear to fluctuate heavily. They flirt with well-written, vibrant head boppers, only to fizzle out into confessional, yet uneventful gloomy background noise. Love Is Always There is a perfect example of a song with stolen potential, much like the resonating, yet still empty feeling slow-burner Day and Night.
This may be Majid Jordan trying to prove their adaptability. Their deep, down-tempo efforts could be an attempt at demonstrating their ability to transition from hard-hitting club tunes, to emotive pull-on-your-heartstrings music. And while these efforts don’t fall entirely on deaf ears, there are moments when the vibe becomes slightly too bleak.
Though they take a brief venture into the realms of electro-pop with the bouncy Shake Shake Shake, they present little in terms of isolating their sound from those like The Weeknd, or fellow OVO artist PartyNextDoor, who are making similar tunes for a similar audience. That being said, when they deliver, they are (for the most part) faultless. Though not the most attention grabbing of albums, Majid Jordan have proved themselves on par with their peers.
