First off, I would like to point out that that I love the cover art for Neilas new album “Bite Me” ; her spiked up almost neon green hair along with the similarly colored apple which has “bite me” crudely etched in drew my attention from the jump and represents Neilas bright vocals which are present across the album. Why don't artists care about cover art anymore? Its a lost art.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this R&B album. From the first three tracks, you can tell that this album is cohesive, sonically and thematically. The album starts off with a skit where some men are cat calling Neila, and Neila responds immediately and boldly, on the first song of the album “Don't Touch”, where she raps “You can look but don't touch”, comparing her ass to a Van Gogh display. It is no coincidence this is not a r&b song, but a rap track which consists of a hard, driving 808 bass line. Neila's response to this cat calling, I believe, is meant to be abrasive to those wanting to strip her of her agency as a woman. Neila takes ownership of her body, a fact she emphasizes on the subsequent track “My body”, where she declares that “We all know who really holds the power/its between my legs/and none of it belongs to you”. Neila is finding power in her femininity, and showcasing it through her music.
Neila is creative with her voice throughout the tracks, adding another dimension to some of these more uptempo, off kilter r&b beats. She uses her voice as more than just adlibs, but as an addition to the minimal melodies throughout the first half of the album, especially on “Need that” where her voice functions as a sort of sample over some fun bongo drums and driving bassline. Neila settles into more conventional r&B and slows it down on my favorite tracks, the sultry bedroom track “Expensive”, where she sings over heavenly like vocal samples that are paired with guitar strings that sneak themselves into the mix, and the afrobeat track “Impatient”, with solid guest verses from Chris Patrick and Capella Grey, respectively. Neila showcases her ability to go between rap, r&b and afrobeats gracefully, embracing her femininity throughout. Listen here:
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