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"For H.E.R."

Tracklist:

Glimpse of Heaven (Prod. CassKidd)

Blue Skies (Prod. Ta-ku)

Fallen Ashes Feat LeThomas Lee (Prod. The Confect)

The Question

L.O.T.H. (faded) (Prod. Sammie Notez)

Inebriated Intuition (Prod. Flying Lotus)

Guilty Passion Feat. Hannah Kay (Interlude)

Burning Bridges (Prod. Atu & Dpat)

Temptations (Prod. Money B)

Screaming Misery (Prod. Dm.Prod.Beats)

Are you with me? (Outro) (Prod. Amnii)

The Revolution (Prod. Fragile X & Amnii)

**(Bandcamp Bonus) The Cover Feat. Kevyn Houston (Prod. Mrs.Right)

Review:

During my unexpected 9 month hiatus; earlier this year I was contacted quite a few time by Grand Rapids, Michigan native James Lewis to review previous tracks he has created and his single “Fallen Ashes” featuring LeThomas Lee which is produced by The Confect from his album “For H.E.R.” which was released early June of this year and somehow I’m disappointed that I missed the train. Besides being the patient & professional young gentleman that he is; I had to show love to my fellow Michigander. James Lewis has been releasing music for the world to hear for about 5 years now; maybe even longer. The Alternative Hip-Hop/Soul artist started off with the title track from his EP “Who am I…” 3 years ago and been grinding with a supportive fan base ever since.

This year he has released a very clean, eye opening & refreshingly produced full length album “For H.E.R.” with noticeable clean bass tones that will hug your headphones, soothing guitars, heavenly pianos and warm feminine background samples that softens the tone of the album but his rhymes & flow doesn’t go unnoticed. The production “For H.E.R.” stands strong & complements his message and stays true to Hip-Hop. I can only imagine how songs from this album would sound in concert with a live band; especially with a bad-ass drummer. Lewis relationship & understanding with the producers he worked with on this album must be damn good because it shows within this album. Beside this album being a headphones best friend; this ear-joy of an album includes inviting features by LeThomas Lee, Hannah Kay and Kevyn Houston. LeThomas Lee soulful tenor voice has really gave the track “Fallen Ashes” a grounded tone that encourages a dim lighted connection with his fans, audience & online listeners. Hannah Kay’s soprano, church choir enhanced voice has really highlighted the track “Guilty Passion” and gave it a down home feeling. Kevyn Houston’s smooth & tamed voice was so well suited for the Bandcamp bonus track “The Cover” that I almost didn’t notice him singing; he blended to well with the track. Featured talents LeThomas , Hannah & Kevyn has done a beautiful job shedding light on overlooked talented singers that independent artist like James Lewis discover and put on dope tracks.

As described by James Lewis himself:

“The album is a story that vividly depicts my love for music and dealing with the battles that's comes with it by creating music into an "ideal" of a woman; it gives the listener many different views on the genres themselves. It’s not just album but, I know it’s the start of a beautiful movement!!”

Mr. Lewis hard work, dedication & attentiveness to this refreshing piece of art have paid off tremendously. James has the flow of someone who does spoken word (which he does) turned Hip-Hop artist and it gels so well together that it’s undeniably authentic & eclectic. While listening to this movement; I have replayed this album a good 7-to-10 times within 24 hours and thoroughly enjoyed how every track flowed flawlessly together and displayed a prominent love for music & creativity while telling a musical story. The music of this album doesn’t have to be entitled. You can play it and just simply enjoy James Lewis calming presence, lyrics and talent from beginning-to-end. James Lewis has shown how diverse his music can be with “For H.E.R.” displaying elements of Alternative Hip-Hop/Rap & Contemporary R&B/Soul with Hip-Hop influenced poetic lyrics. I can see this movement hitting mainstream. I would say this album is like a couple of cities away from Kendrick Lamar. There’s a very thick line between the two because the styles are opposite of each other but relative if that makes sense.

My favorite tracks from “For H.E.R.” besides the singles released would be: “Blue Skies”, “L.O.T.H. (faded)”, “Temptations” and the Bandcamp bonus track “The Cover”. Those are the tracks I’ll say really highlighted this album. I would give this album a 9.5/10. I gave this album 9.5/10 because this is an album that doesn’t need to be confined to digital download only; I feel as if this album needs to be in the hands of music lovers in physical form. I know if James Lewis gave listeners a great visual they will appreciate the album more than they already do and could really distribute his music & expand. Other than that “For H.E.R.” is a must have for your computers or MP3 players/iPod/iPhone. If you have downloaded this amazing album; share your thoughts with us at JPF & James Lewis and spread the music around; I’m sure James Lewis would appreciate that.