Marvin Dark is a neo-soul and R&B artist with a sublime sonic sense. He blends ambient synth blooms with bluesy accents and silky smooth baritones to create memorable soundscapes. The artist has just released his debut album, ‘Up in Smoke’ in which he explores the spectrum of soul and blues both retro and contemporary. Listen Now!
The fifteen track collection is divided into three, introduced conceptually and stylistically with intros and interludes. Each section delves into the changing nature of love and feelings, pondering in their essence and evolutions.
The first four tracks explore the dreamy spheres of developing feelings and falling in love. And aligned with the theme, it is largely melody driven, with heartfelt and passionate vocal deliveries. ‘Holdin’ On’ has a smooth flow, with effervescing synths and glassy harmonies. Marvin’s soulful baritones have bare inflections that catch the sentiments woven into the melodies. ‘Call Me’ and ‘Just Us’ set out a touch of early 00s with influences of artists like Blue, Usher, and Chris Brown. ‘I Could See Us’ is a blues infused rhythmic flow with hip-hop and funk accents underscoring it.
Post the ‘Thru It (Interlude)’, the album is tweaked to orient itself to the contemporary styles. We see pronounced funk and neo-soul features texturising the frames. The emotions that drive these three tracks, ‘Up in Smoke’, ‘Forbidden Fruit’ and ‘Can’t Save Me’ set out a changing soundscape, perhaps to conceptualize the changing feelings. The buoyant mix of soulful melodies and vocals with boxy beats and strident flows is a pleasure to get through.
Finally, we have the ‘Lessons Learned (interlude)’. The four tracks that follow it set out the dimensions of love in the aftermath. These four tracks showcase alternative soul frames in a way that is reminiscent of artists like SZA, Kehlani, Doja Cat, and Kali Uchis. Marvin’s vocals get smoky with melancholy and heartache. ‘Choices’ and ‘Deserve’ have a long-winded melodrama as it is flushed with plush synths and dream-soul sensibilities. On the other hand, ‘Ashes’ and ‘No Stress’ are more bare and candid. With memorable verses and sentiment, it ends the album on a softer note.
The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!
You can listen to ‘Up in Smoke’ by Marvin Dark here -
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