Exhilaration, warmth, and the recollection of childhood memories listening to Usher, Destiny’s Child, and Aaliyah, can only express few of the many emotions that I experienced on my first play through of Larger Than Life. Brent Faiyaz went back in time to bring a sense of familiarity unified with a modern day approach, gifting us with a timeless classic that should be discussed for another generation at minimum. It’s simple, I can not stop listening to this album and the replay value has sky rocketed beyond my initial expectations. With the reality that Brent is blowing up in the mainstream market, it was almost safe to assume that we were not going to get the same creativity and artistry that we knew with Sonder Son or AM Paradox. Not only did Brent prove me wrong, but he might have gone on to drop his best work to date and in turn, the best r&b album that I’ve heard this year. Let’s talk about it.

I think I was one of few that did not enjoy Brent’s previous album Wasteland. It gives off a mainstream sound that felt ingenue, only looking to appeal to a mass audience. However, Larger Than Life felt like a breath of fresh air. And it begins with the element of surprise in the very first song, Tim’s Intro, short for Timberland the producer. An unexpected, yet nostalgic instrumentation (hence the Aaliyah reference) that grab’s the listener’s attention right from the jump. With a short nod to TLCs No Scrubs right before Brent confidently introduces himself to the track with “Bitch I’m 99 overall”, I knew i was in for a treat. Make no mistake, this  album still presents its fair share of love themes throughout with songs such as Forever Yours, Moment Of your Life, and Wherever I Go, but its the diversity of this project that differentiates itself from other modern day R&B competitors. 

What reels me in with R&B is the vulnerability of relatable and sometimes not so relatable love stories. And Larger Than Life presents us with plenty of those, WY@ being a prime example. I love this song because it’s catchy, but it’s not just that. The feelings of being powerless with the inability to escape the hold someone carries over you. I cannot help but to envy his ability to successfully explain his feelings through an art. If you’re a fan of 90s R&B, I think you’ll love this album for the samples alone. I’d like to consider myself the r&b connoisseur, and with that title holds great responsibility. I listen to and observe this genre daily, and this is the best album I’ve heard from it this year. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but it is a must listen regardless.