JaVez: “When I Was Uptown” has the power to captivate audiences

JaVez is a 23 year old Maryland recording artist who sings, raps, produces, and mixes his own music. The self-taught Baltimore area artist has a penchant for Kanye West, Usher, Jay Z, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Chris Brown. He also grew up listening to singers like Brian McKnight and R. Kelly. JaVez plans to one day be a successful CEO of a record label and iconic recording artist. JaVez is the true definition of an artist, he isn’t afraid to be himself and put himself out there. The lyrics alone prove that. Add in some fantastic production and the combination is deadly. Each song offers a compelling narrative that brings structure and cohesion to the recording.

JaVez has a very rare songwriting gift; he has the power to captivate audiences everywhere with just one song. After that, you’re hooked for life. “When I Was Uptown” shows the many sides of this unique artist. The opening track “Show You” helps set the bar to a new high, and as everything else unfolds, you can’t help but smile.

This EP is everything that you can expect from an alternative crossover R&B and Hip-hop artist, and is one of the most ingeniously crafted records of the genre I have heard this year. Everyone should at least listen to this once, you won’t see it coming!

There is more than just beauty behind the madness; there is a voice that totally rocks your world, whether in normal tones or insanely high falsetto, JaVez’s voice remains crystal clear. Every generation has its eclectic set of voices and his, is part of this generation’s eclectic set.

If you are not into alternative R&B, tracks like “Won’t Let You Down” and “Rep It” is a great time for you to get into it. The soundscapes are minimal but sonically cutting edge sharp, allowing the vocals all the needed space to breath, grow and seduce.

JaVez’s also finds a sweet spot for his own stripped down and emotional version of Tamia’s “Stuck With Me”. Listening to something like this is the ultimate form of escapism that so many of us flock to music for.

If you’re in the mood for something different, then “When I Was Uptown” is the EP for you. This is clearly not a recording made for the catchy hooks; instead, it focuses on the musical embodiment of JaVez’s themes.

It’s almost as if the music came as a consequence of the lyrics, even though it likely worked the other way around. If there is any connective tissue bounding this EP together it’s the idea that JaVez doesn’t have to fundamentally change who he is in order to become a potential star.

A couple of tweaks here and there, without losing the rawness, would be all this needs, as “When I Was Uptown”,  already sounds like a completely brilliant beginning to what promises to be a long and bright career.

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