Noname, Room 25, Album Review

Noname

Room 25

Album Review

Listen on Spotify

After the madness of a few weeks back, where new albums to review seemed to be coming from left, right and centre, It eventually became a bit more tricky to find newly released album.

Thankfully however, I managed to find three new albums to review. The first of which I found thanks to the youtube album reviewer; Anthony Fantano (a.k.a.TheNeedleDrop). 

"Room 25" is the first studio album of female American rapper; Noname following her mixtape titled "Telefone" released back in 2016.

The way I felt about it with my initial listen was supposedly very similar to Buddy's "Harlan and Alondra" in the way that it felt very fresh and current while also being familiar in terms of lyrical flows.

The album begins with this soulful melody marking the first track titled "Self". It feels like a very good choice of song to put first and showcases a lot of Noname's charisma and lyrical style that will be continued throughout the rest of the album.

"Blaxploitation" is a very god track at addressing various racial issues that the world suffers from in the modern era. The production has this really nice minimalistic and quirky feel to it and it helps us focus our attention towards the lyrics. I think that it is just overall a really catchy song too.

We get a chance to hear a more melodic performance from Noname in the next track; "Prayer Song". The lyrics seem to revolve around the issues with American patriotism it seems. While I feel that the production is a bit too dreary for its own good and drags on a little, the vocal performance is really polished. In a way, it almost feels like a track off one of Beyonce's albums.

While the last three tracks have all been great in their own right. I think my interest towards this album really began to increase when track number 4; "Window" started playing. In terms of production especially, it has obviously taken a lot of inspiration from the more orchestral instrumentations that has been used in albums such as Tyler the Creators "Flower Boy". it feels really blissful and is just really enjoyable to listen to.

"Don't Forget About Me" has an equally gorgeous and orchestral production as the previous track, only with a more downbeat rhythm that gives it a bit more of a sorrowful vibe. It really draws yo in to the lyrics which are quite sorrowful themselves. 

"Regal" was arguably the first track to really confirm in my mind that I needed to give this album a listen. The atmosphere of the song is indeed very "regal" and is also very feel-good in a way. The production is incredibly wondrous and I think it works perfectly in comparison to Noname's bars.

This is followed by "Montego Bae" which is possibly the most unique track in my eyes with its very tropical and glamorous production. This would've been an essential listen for the summer if it weren't over, but that certainly won't stop me from enjoying this tune for a long, long time.

When listening to the next track; "Ace" for the first time, I didn't think too hard about it in all honesty. But I can certainly say that it has grown on me immensely since then to the point where it becomes a really hard for it not to get stuck in your head. The production just has this great sense of charm to it with the mums and whistles that come with it. The features on this song only cement just how much of a catchy tune this is.

"Part Of Me" begins really well with an acoustic drum beat that instantly give the track a higher level of authenticity. The melodies of the backing vocals as well as the verse from Benjamin Earl Turner make it uncannily similar to some kind of Kendrick Lamar track. And as a Kendrick fan, I can say that I really like this track!

Another example of amazingly acoustic production is in the next track "With You". The echoing and almost somber guitar strings give it a sort of King Krule vibe that oddly enough pairs really well with Noname's lyrics. it just has this really pleasant and indulgent sense of dreariness which I will never get fed up of.

The album then finishes by returning back to the more soulful side of things with the final track, simply titled "no name". It has this incredibly homely and soulful melody which is only made all the more gorgeous with the piano and added vocals from the features in this song; Yaw and Adam Ness. Its such a beautiful way to end the album.

In conclusion, I love this album for the way that it almost seems to get better the further you progress into it, and there are now quite a few songs from there that will be engraved into my memory for many months to come. I am extremely glad to have given this album a listen.

Thank you for reading

BBP