This is the sophomore effort from Jamaican singer/songwriter & deejay Shenseea. Putting out a handful of singles since 2015 like the Vybz Kartel-assisted “Loodi” or “Run Run”, she then signed to Interscope Records prior to the pandemic & got her biggest push yet after appearing on the “Ok Ok” remix off Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West’s final Def Jam album DONDA. Her debut album Alpha further solidified Shenyeng as dancehall’s most exciting new artist & had a feeling Never Gets Late Here was going to improve on the departments in which Alpha lacked.
“Face Lift” starts by signing over a cloudy trap beat from London on da Track & FNZ about continuing to keep going wherever life leads her whereas “Hit & Run” featuring Masicka goes straight dancehall explaining that you couldn’t get them to settle down. “Tap Out” brings a hypnotic groove to the table instrumentally trying to find out how long you can last with her, but then “Neva Neva” goes for a pop reggae vibe refusing to say never & not wanting to feel any pressure.
Meanwhile on “Die for You”, we have Shenyeng returning to the dancehall sound talking about dying for her lover just before “Keep a Place” brings a traditional reggae flare thanks to Supah Mario hoping her exes’ memories of her aren’t fading. “Dolla” once again turns back into bashment turf explaining that money is better than sex itself prior to “Loyalty” talking about her new man being a real O.G. atmospherically stripping down roots reggae with an increased emphasis on pure rhythm.
Coi Leray pops up for the funky “Flava” so both of them can talk spicy while “NaNa” takes the anthemic route aesthetically singing about someone waiting all his life for her & shining like the summertime every single day of the year. “Red Flag” featuring Anitta is this dancehall/Latin pop crossover explaining that men who don’t have it being a turnoff for them while “Stars” passionately encourages to leave them in the sky.
As the conclusion of Never Gets Late Here gets closer, the penultimate track “Heaven on Earth” asks where her paradise is over a warm trap instrumental that is until “Work Me Out” featuring Wizkid officially ties up the LP mixing dancehall with afrobeats talking about only being here for 1 night only getting 1 invite to give sexercise & burn them out.
Couple years after we get a proper introduction to Shenseea, she’s celebrating summer early following it up with a vibrant fusion of rhythms & genres showcasing distinctive style further demonstrating her songwriting prowess & knack for crafting infectious melodies that result in a truly unique musical experience.
Score: 3.5/5
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