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Matty Owens is Reviving R&B With His Fresh, Global Sound.

Writer's picture: NEW COLLEGE ENTERTAINMENTNEW COLLEGE ENTERTAINMENT

After the mid 2010’s, contemperary R&B has come to a slow halt. With The Weeknd transitioning to a synth pop sound, Drake focusing more on traditional hip hop flows and instrumentals, as well as SZA and Frank Ocean's seemingly eternal hiatus, the genre has come to a slow halt.. Sure there are artists out there like summer walker and solange who’ve both released solid r&b albums. Still, generally bogged down by cheesy chords, production and lyrics, The genre is in desperate need of a breath of fresh air.


In Matty Owen’s new project, “View From The Top" we get just that. By blending the nostalgic r&b sounds of Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, and Erykah Badu with the unique style and culture of Boston Hip-Hop, one of the hottest underground scenes in the country, the Brazil native creates a fresh r&b aesthetic from a worldly perspective. Reminiscent of the golden days of r&b, The sound crafted on this project is comfortingly familiar and yet so different in all the right ways.

At 7 songs and just under 12 minutes, "View From The Top" is an easy listen and a great introduction to Matty. The vocals on this project are really amazing and a true highlight. Matty has a warm delivery that blends perfectly over a variety of beats and rhythms. The sonic variety is another one of my favorite aspects of this project. From urban drums and tropical dancehall vibes wavy on Teimoso, to dark hypnotic r&b melodies on Strung Out, to syrupy sweet vocals on a slow groovy track "Ohgeez". Matty’s variety and beat selection is one of the reasons this project is fresh as it doesn’t get set on one specific sound. Rather it more closely represents a mood with Owen’s vocals as the glue and his quick witted and unique lyricism to keep things interesting.

The project’s standout comes in the form of Teimoso. Showing off his vocals while singing in Portuguese, utilizing organic percussion, upbeat chops, and booming 808s Matty creates this tropical banger. Full disclosure I don’t understand most of the words but that shit still hard and you need it in your playlist.


Matty's Fresh blend of a unique perspective with familiar melodies and amazing vocals is a winner. View from the top is one of my favorite projects of the summer with “The Hole" and “Teimoso" being my two favorite tracks. I can only wait to see how Matty’s unique sound and style progress over time. Listen to Matty’s project, “Views From The Top” here.



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Daley Doodle
Daley Doodle
Jul 19, 2021

NEW COLLEGE IS FOR THE PEOPLE ⭐️

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