by Will Floyd (@Wilf_Lloyd)
The stark shift in tone between Detroit singer-songwriter Monica Blaire’s first and second LPs is certainly befitting of a name change. Portraits of Me was released sixteen years ago, and is a fun time capsule of mid-2000s hip hop and R&B trends to explore. It’s a full hour longer than How to Dress Well in the Dark’s barely 30-minute run time, perhaps in homage to classic hip hop’s movie-length opuses. While it traverses many of the same genres, the presentation could not be more different. Where Portraits of Me could be cinematic and maximalist, HTDWITD—whether by choice or imposed limitations—is subtle and minimalist, content to do more with less.
Now on her first album as mBtheLight (released via Moodymann-founded record label, Mahogani Music), everything feels like it has been upgraded for a new era of neo-soul and experimental R&B, from production choices to track and album length. There are twelve songs on the album, half of which are spoken-word or a cappella interludes which for the most part don’t exceed the one-minute mark; but the distinction feels insignificant in the present musical landscape, where the voices of friends and family are increasingly on par with the voice of the artist, and some of hip hop and R&B’s biggest icons like Earl Sweatshirt or Jazminne Sullivan increasingly favor brevity, blurring the lines between LP and EP. The interludes are also what lend the project its intimate, DIY feel. Most sound like they were recorded via iPhone, and they run the gamut from schoolyard-esque chants to live show snippets, all of which standout among the more polished full-length tracks.
Blaire’s chief strength on HTDWITD is vocal harmony arrangement, which is on full display in song’s like “Frame,” “Smarts,” and “Heart / Sinnerman”. “Hustlingbackwards” is the standout track, exemplary of Blaire’s uniquely instinctual writing style. The recording starts with a declaration from Blaire—“I’m tryna write this”—affirming what she told Audiofemme in a recent interview, that “All of the full songs you hear are one take, three at most. Nothing was written down, they’re all improv.” This fact renders the thematic and sonic unity of the track all the more remarkable. Blaire cultivates a creeping, claustrophobic atmosphere through the spare piano melody that sounds like a slot machine or retro video game (see: “In my hood we just play solitaire, front like we don’t care”). The whole thing sounds as fittingly stuck-in-place as the characters she’s describing.
“Release” is the closest HTDWITD comes to upbeat, mostly thanks to an irresistible synth-funk bass line. Meanwhile the droopy, slow orbiting synth leads on the intro lend the track an undeniably psychedelic edge. It also features Blaire’s most stunning vocal performance, as she closes out the track with some passionate, acrobatic runs.
Due to the improvisational nature of the album, themes can be tough to tease out—but a few key lyrics convey well enough the era of self-discovery in which Blaire finds herself. Whether she’s lamenting on the intro that “things just ain’t the same for real ones,” self-identifying as a “late bloomer, slow mover” on “Latebloomer,”, or speaking to a crowd about the importance of figuring out your true purpose on “Fuckthewrongpeople,”, and the decision to release under a new moniker, it seems safe to say Blaire is facing a new beginning. For an artist whose last transmission is close to two decades old, what is most impressive about mBtheLight’s debut is how effortlessly contemporary, even forward-thinking it sounds.