Chill N’ Vibe - SV ft Alyssa Jane & Kevon Scott. (R&B/Jazz/NeoSoul) This track surprises you in that it starts off as one thing, and yet completely transforms into something else once the vocals kick in. The song begins as a rainy-day cafe type of vibe, lead by a beautiful trumpet lead. It’s chill, it’s vibey, it’s a “light a candle and pour a glass of wine” kind of track. But then the vocals come in, turning this song into one with R&B and Neo Soul elements, now carried by a voice like a bell, full of versatility. An airy delivery akin to 90s Janet Jackson then turns into a focused and strong modern-day lead, all accompanied by soothing background vocal harmonies that give Brandy. Working together with the trumpet and expertly mixed into a lush production as if it were part of the instrumentation itself, Chill N’ Vibe pulls off the perfect hat trick—a modern-day sensibility but still retro enough to trick you into thinking it’s a throwback, specific enough as a mainstream single but moody enough for a rainy day playlist, and most importantly, existing outside of time—play this 20 years from now and you’ll never know it wasn’t just released. Hats off to SV.
Best lyric: “You show me a side of you I wish you never had’”