Album Review: Yes Lawd! Is NxWorries’ Long-Awaited, Powerful Debut
Mixing snippets, skits, and songs, into one fluid groove, NxWorries’ Yes Lawd! makes you think you have sonically entered a club, and in 19 tracks you will hear the smiles and dramas that unfold throughout the night. With a funk-hip hop sound and R&B vocals, Yes Lawd! captures the fun times and wrong moves one can makes when he or she is young. Yet, this record is not about preaching. On the contrary, it is about releasing/relieving your woes to create good memories.
NxWorries’ is comprised of Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak, whose mutual church upbringing motivated them to create a record that pulsed with spirituality but vibrated with rhythm. These men were raised religious, but used their background as inspiration for the emotional experience they wish to musically create for listeners. No one can deny that religion raises people through speaking to their sentiments, to which Yes Lawd! does the same. Yet, Yes Lawd! is an album that follows the story of a spirit in need of redemption, and struggling to understand what that entails.
Yes Lawd! is a narrative record that uses novel storytelling to enrapture listeners, and follow .Paak as he embodies the persona of a 70’s superstar/ ladies’ man whom uses women and debauchery to numb/ avoid his insecurities. Although .Paak clearly has chosen a persona to embolden this album’s charisma, the singer still cathartically used the character to represent his struggles to triumph over hardships and actually enjoy his victories. This notion is what makes Yes Lawd! transition from an enlivened, rambunctious record to a surprisingly thoughtful one.
Absorbing the good life and clearing its negativity is not easy. Thus, as you see the emotional rollercoaster of .Paak’s pimp-like persona, you feel as if your hearing the monologues of a heartfelt film character. Knxwledge’s beats match .Paak’s vocal styles to give listeners’ a cinematic experience. You can literally see in your mind and feel in your heart what ears listening to through Yes Lawd! Knxwledge’s visionary compositions assures that 70’s nightlife is fully exemplified through basslines and electric riffs that make you envision the mysterious disco that holds .Paak’s character. Yet, Knxwledge also weaves a tapestry of sampled bits and smooth brass/ violin arrangements to certify that .Paak always has a musical foundation that amplifies the emotional weight/journey of his voice. Hence, you can literally picture .Paak wooing a young woman on the dance-floor with his silver tongue, and then having a quiet moment in the VIP lounge to question why he plays with women’s hearts while longing to be genuinely loved.
NxWorries have created a fulfilling human capsule in Yes Lawd! It is as if they placed a living-breathing soul into an album, where each song is a chapter in their life. For More Information on NxWorries and to Buy Yes Lawd! on Octber 21 Click Here.
