If someone has turned on their radio even once this summer, there’s a very strong chance they’ve already been one of the millions that have been exposed to Gyptian’s “Hold You.” It’s also somewhat likely that they’re already tired of it. Then along came variety, in the form of an official Nicki Minaj remix. Even Major Lazer hopped on the remix bandwagon! The lesser-known angle to all of this is that Gyptian indeed titled his forthcoming album Hold You as well, filled with 15 tracks that people aren’t sick of yet. With its late-July release date, Gyptian left listeners just enough time to bump the collection of tracks perfect for the summertime appropriately for over a month before Labor Day hits. And before half of the U.S. busts out the hoodies and boots, and books tickets to Jamaica for some heat instead of looking to their iPods for it, there is definite enjoyment to be found on Gyptian’s latest LP.
Hold You opens with “Prelude TBH (To Be Held),” where he takes a cue from Alicia Keys and breaks down his smash hit (think the slowed down “Empire State of Mind Pt. 2”), which leads directly into the relaxing “Beautiful Lady.” The catchy tune is actually the story of a beautiful young woman who just can’t seem to keep her hands off Gyptian and seems a little worried about him keeping his mouth shut about how easily she gave up the punani, yet who knew a song dealing with hoe tendencies could sound so melodically lovely?
Following is a solid first half appearance from Gyptian, including “Nah Let Go,” a more upbeat selection heavy on the synths and sexy women, where the drums drop off for a bit mid-song to let Gyptian exclaim, “I’ve never ever seen nah girl whine this way, and don’t you even bother to get her number, ’cause this sexy girl is with me.” The track has a touch of Sean Kingston’s “Me Love” to it, even down to the melody, however it has more of a Dancehall feel with a Pop edge.
Halftime is accentuated by the “L.U=V.E.” interlude, a surprisingly interesting mood changer or palate cleanser, so to speak, that starts out with a slow piano accentuated with acoustic guitar, while choral notes ease their way in to lift it to a dramatic peak. This leads into the standout “Rendezvous,” the “get it on” song of the bunch, where his mildly Auto-Tuned voice expresses his desires from his lady friend for their evening rendezvous. “Where You Belong” is also worthy of many replays, with mood-setting horns leading into a very smooth track with a classic Reggae bounce to it, driven by a heavy bassline, giving a more tried-and-true feel to it.
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Although no particular song is blatantly bad, some just get a bit slow or boring at times. “Drive Me Crazy” feels like it’s more R&B than Reggae, and although “Leave Us Alone” boasts a nice, more hardcore musical backdrop, the vocals get repetitive by the end of the song. However, it also feels like the next track in line besides “Hold Yuh” that is asking for an emcee to hop on a remix.
Hold You may not be an album that will satisfy lovers of the Reggae classics, like Bob Marley, Sizzla, or Capleton, and it’s definitely not the album full of aggressive Dancehall that will have a party’s energy through the roof. Rather, it’s a tastefully-done modern (read: Auto-Tuned) take on Lovers’ Rock, which will be catchy enough to keep people listening.
