GENIA – 4 PM IN THE VILLE REVIEW

As I have previously mentioned on this blog, Tik Tok is one of my favorite ways to discover new music. Say what you want about that app, but it has done wonders for young musicians who want to make a name for themselves online; as a lover of new music and underrated or up-and-coming artists, Tik Tok is such an excellent tool for me. The other day when I was on the app, a new single from R&B artist Genia popped up. I was hooked right from the jump, and I immediately went to Spotify to find out more about her. Fortunately for me, Genia just released her new project 4 PM In The Ville a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately for me, I can not find any background information on her or any other music that she has released apart from a couple of covers posted to her Soundcloud account a few years ago. Regardless of her origins, I do know one thing for certain; Genia’s music has caught my attention, and I want to listen to more of it. With that being said, here is my review of Genia’s 4 PM In The Ville. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this project as well as how u feel about it as a whole.

Genia gets 4 PM In The Ville started off with ‘Lana’s Dream.’ This is an instrumental with some audio of Genia’s late grandma(RIP) speaking to her. The instrumental has an early 2000s Neo-Soul sound that reminds me a lot of Alicia Keys. It has a melancholy yet hopeful tone; it gives the feeling of knowing that if you work hard enough you can get out of that tough spot you are in and make your dreams come true. The instrumental matches the audio of Genia’s grandma perfectly. In ‘Lana’s Dream,’ Genia’s grandma asserts that Genia will win a Grammy one day. Her grandma knew how talented she is and that she was certain she was destined to be a star. This track has a beautiful sentiment and it is such a nice way to begin this project. ‘Introducing’ is the first single that Genia released from this project, and it is probably the song that most people know her from. This is because it went semi-viral on Youtube recently. The instrumental for ‘Introducing’ has a grand and colossal feeling that reminds me of Hip Hop from the late 2000s and early 2010s. The horns that drive the melody and the drums that drive the beat are so triumphant sounding, giving the song such a larger-than-life presence. The top comment on the music video for this track states: ‘This feels legendary. like I’m watching Rihanna before she became Rihanna.’ I one hundred percent understand where this commenter was coming from because that is the first thing I thought when I heard this track. Genia’s delivery and flow on this track remind me so much of Rihanna; specifically, her delivery makes me think of Rihanna from her Anti album(which is one of my favorite R&B records, by the way). On ‘Introducing,’ Genia makes herself known to the world and states that she knows how awesome she is. ‘The One’ is the song that I discovered Genia from. I am glad that the Tik Tok algorithm blessed me with this track, because I can not get enough of it. ‘The One’ has a sound that blends early 2000s R&B and modern R&B effortlessly. The melody for this track makes me think of artists like Ashanti or Brandy, but the beat and the sound effects which complement the melody have such a current R&B Trap feeling. Genia’s vocal performance on ‘The One’ is reminiscent of early Beyoncé. Genia’s delivery of this song is so crisp, and she demonstrates a very strong vocal range. In ‘The One,’ Genia is telling her partner not to fall in love because she knows she is not the person that will be with them long term. Similar to the last song, ‘Betrayed’ has a sound that feels classic and modern at the same time. The piano-driven melody is so sweet and fresh and nice to listen to; it reminds me of the kind of melodies SZA is known for. The beat for ‘Betrayed’ has a retro tempo; it has a slowed-down and chopped-up version of a 90s-esque Boom-Bap beat. Genia’s vocal performance and tone on this track are a lot more light and subdued than it was on the first two. Her softer delivery matches the instrumental and makes the song feel warm. On ‘Betrayed,’ Genia is singing about a former significant other who wasn’t loyal to her like she was to them.

‘On My Knees(Forgive Me)’ is a short track that packs a powerful punch. It is probably the most powerful song on the record to this point, and that says a lot. This song has an instrumental with no beat and a strong melody that is extremely hazy and atmospheric. Genia shows off how strong her vocals are on this track, belting out the high notes that she hits with much power. The way the vocals are arranged in the second half of the track makes Genia sound like she is singing underwater in far away in a tunnel. This interesting effect on her voice adds to the ethereal feeling of the song. In ‘On My Knees(Forgive Me),’ Genia is stating that she is praying for peace. ‘Jaded’ is definitely the most current-sounding song on the record. This also makes it the most boring, in my opinion. The song has a pretty basic R&B Trap instrumental that does not stand out. The melody is pleasant and the beat has a danceable tempo, but it does not draw me in the way some of the other tracks have. The vocal performance on this track is nice, but it is not exceptional. I feel the same about it as I do about the instrumental; her vocals are fine, but they do not bring up the quality of the track much to me. On ‘Jaded,’ Genia is singing about how stressed out she is and how unsatisfied she is with how her life is going. ‘False Prophet’ is another song with an old-school Neo-Soul feeling to it. The uncomplicated instrumental of this song has immediately made me think of Alicia Keys again. Although the instrumental is okay in my opinion, it could have been a lot better if the distortion that comes in at the beginning and end of the song was more prevalent throughout the instrumental; it could have been a lot more cool and exciting if the distortion would have been included more. The straightforward nature of this instrumental does put the focus on Genia’s vocal performance more, which is excellent. She sings in a delicate yet dynamic way that is so compelling. On ‘False Prophet,’ Genia is singing about a former loved one who hurt her and traumatized her in ways that she is still struggling with today. Genia may have saved the best track for last with ‘Gratitude.’ This song has a fun, zestful instrumental that makes me want to dance when I hear it. The melody is pleasant and complicated, with various levels of distortion and invigorating sound effects added to it to make it engaging. Genia goes with a sing-rap kind of delivery on this song that fits the R&B Trap sound that the instrumental has. It is not necessarily her most thrilling vocal performance of the record, but it does enhance this already great track. The only thing I do not truly enjoy about ‘Gratitude’ is the fact that it is short; I wish this was one of the longest tracks of the project because it is awesome. On ‘Gratitude,’ Genia is singing about reconnecting with a former partner that she created a lot of great memories with. The song has a hopeful tone, as Genia is suggesting that she feels they can get back to how they used to be.

Tik Tok has introduced me to a lot of great artists over the years that are among my favorites today, and I think that it may have happened again. I am appreciative that I got introduced to Genia on that app recently because she is a gem and this project is a good introduction to her. 4 PM In The Ville is not the most enthralling or innovative project of all time, but it is a crisp project with a ton of quality. Apart from a couple of them, the instrumentals on this record are not exciting and alluring, but that is okay because it forces the listener to focus on her vocals and lyricism. Genia shines as a lyricist and vocalist on 4 PM In The Ville. The way she invites the listeners into her thoughts and feelings is riveting, and her vocal range and diversity on this project make it so thrilling. 4 PM In The Ville is a very good opening project for Genia, and it cements her as one of the most exciting rising stars making R&B music today.