This article was written by Kenzo Kimura, class of 2019.
The first time I saw the name, I immediately thought “Uptown Funk.” I was terribly mistaken. Hailing from North London, twenty-nine year old Bruno Major has set an underground name for himself in the United States through soulful R&B, Sam-Smith-styled acapella and a soft voice that airbrushes the microphone at just the right volume. With a new take on British R&B syncopaths and acoustic accompaniments, Bruno Major differentiates himself with a more classic outlook on music. I’ll be reviewing his top five songs on Spotify, ironically all of them coming from the same album, A Song For Every Moon. As much as I love Major’s style and originality, I sense over-repetitiveness within this style in every song. It’s like hearing dead-meme KPOP star PSY’s other music after listening to “Gangnam Style.” Original, but still repetitive.
Album: A Song For Every Moon (2017)
Easily – “Easily” one of my favorite songs. Doesn’t even feel like R&B, but hey, anything goes.
Places We Won’t Walk – I started to recognize the use of traditional instrumentals (piano, acoustic guitar) and soft tones in this song, a differentiating factor in R&B.
Fair-Weather Friend – This song is more relatable towards the soul genre, really exemplifying Major’s take on American music while also keeping a Sam Smith style tempo.
On Our Own – Hands down the most heartfelt and impactful. Hard to see modern R&B singers such as Bryson Tiller, Daniel Caesar and Roy Woods attempt to sing as high as this song.
Just The Same – Feels like it came out of a renaissance painting created by a modern hipster — creating a mixture both strange yet soothing at the same time.
Overall, I feel like Bruno Major has great potential to become the next big thing in Europe, but not America. The identity of R&B in America is loosely related to either sexually tense music or that real hit of soul synthed with modern 2018 trap beats. Major’s slow music is given a 9/10, with an overall 8.5 on originality, quality and artistic value.
