Lous & the Yakuza - Gore
Genre: Alternative R&B
Score: 7/10
This is the debut album of Congolese singer, rapper, songwriter, model and artist Marie–Pierra Kakoma aka Lous & the Yakuza.What to Expect: Straight out of the DRC, aka, the most coldblooded country in Africa, Lous’s family had their fair share of conflict based migration and discrimination as she moved from the DRC to Rwanda before finally settling in Belgium. Realizing she wanted to be a musician her whole life, she dared to do the incomprehensible and tell her African doctor parents her dream (you can imagine how that went). Nevertheless, she kept at it and before she knew it she was signed to Columbia Records and teamed up with Spanish producer El Guincho for this highly anticipated release. Her Colors performance definitely grabbed my attention, so I’m now expecting a good album that can help boost her profile.
Overall: This is a pretty good debut album. I have a good sense of who Lous & the Yakuza likes through her musical influences and songwriting ideas. It’s like Trapsoul, but French. Each song reinforces each other to create a distinct nocturnal and sensual vibe that reminds me of popular hip hop & R&B artists, and her voice sounds cool as a cucumber on these beats when she’s either singing or rapping. Like most debut albums, she’s going to be super influenced by who’s been making waves in the mainstream. Although some of her performances reminded me of other popular R&B artists like Bryson Tiller, Jhene Aiko and Kehlani, she sounds catchier and smoother, in my opinion. In the future, I just hope she drops a project with more production risks and that she keeps trying new sounds and ideas in her music. She’s definitely someone to watch out for in the future.
Play by Play:
1. Dilemme – The trap beat is pretty hardhitting. I love her voice. Her vocal line is super catchy and creates a pretty slicked back vibe. Lyrically she’s stepping away from the limelight, and just laying low and staying away from any attention. Reminds me of Travis Scott.
2. Bon Acteur – Also a very smooth beat. Lyrics are sounding mighty heartbroken. Most of these beats appear to come in, catch a vibe and then dip. The hook is also pretty straightforward.
3. Téléphone sonne – Afrobeats rhythm. Fitting, considering her background. The vibe is pretty sensual and nocturnal. Definitely a refreshing change of pace from the usual trap aesthetics. Keep this song away from Drake.
4. Dans la Hess – Pretty standard Trap Beat. Reminds me of Trapsoul. I love the chorals on the hook. The bridge reminds me of a Kehlani track.
5. Tout est gore – I love this beat. She sings like Dej Loaf or Travis Scott. She very much occupies this lane comfortably. This is definitely the most amped up song on the album, or at least the one that bumps in the whip the hardest.
6. Amigo – Sounds like the clubbiest track to me. Hip house is making a comeback, it appears. As the beat bumps, her singing is really groovy and alluring. Keep this song away from Drake as well.
7. Messes brasses – For some reason this hook reminds me of some Kala era MIA. I like the chiptune keys and her singing reminds me of a bit of Latin artists Lido Pimienta and Rosalia, partially because of the production and the groove of the song (the French are Latin, after all)
8. Courant d’air – I love the hook on this too. She can really make a hook. The beat is very catchy, but it continues to present an issue on this album. The beats and production aren’t as creative and as memorable as her vocal performances. Her performance is more underwhelming on this song too. I love her low vocal riffing on the track though, it’s a fun vibe.
9. Quatre heures du martin – She sounds like she was up around that time recording this. I still love her performance on this. But again, I couldn’t pick this beat out of a lineup. Her voice on this song reminds me of alt R&B artists like the Weeknd and Jorja Smith.
10. Solo – I love the clean beat and the hook. Her singing is really great on this type of production. Despite how sparse the beat is, the groove is still pretty strong and her singing is so catchy on the track. It’s a great single to end the album off on a strong note.
Score: 7/10
Favorite Track in Bold
Just my opinion