[Review] C.U.L.T.U.R.E. – Adoration “classic hip-hop doused in a jazz like lightness”
This is a beautiful song, an awesome indicator of what the upcoming album 21 Days To Glory will be like. The track speaks volumes for the quality of the project, but much more than this, the passion and drive of the song suggests that the album will be something that will affect listeners quite deeply. There’s a hugely uplifting ambiance to ‘Adoration’ that rubs off almost instantly as the music starts playing.
This classic hip-hop doused in a jazz like lightness creates an incomparable mood. Furthermore, you get the artist’s leading rap vocal, the driving force behind the essence and sentiment of the song. It’s a strong voice, modest yet confident, gentle when necessary, powerful when those bigger moments of passion and emotion are needed. The opening piano and horn section is stunning, the vibe set by this moment alone has a very classic, nostalgic, even vintage aura about it. Then you get the heartfelt and superbly recorded and mixed leading voice, something that could have thrown the energy of the song in completely the opposite direction if the balance wasn’t quite right. This was absolutely not the case though, everything works as it should, so you get the strength and urgency and depth of the performance, as well as the nostalgic energy of the music.
There’s a touch of sadness to the lyrics, the idea of praying for survival, though the reminiscing followed by the admission of hard work leading to better times is greatly commendable. The song offers something invaluable, this drive, this belief in better things to come, this work ethic. Again, all of this feeds further into the uplifting or motivational vibe that the musical backdrop conjures up. The song is an almighty introduction to the artist and the album looks set to be big.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
