Ella Mai – “Do You Still Love Me?” review

Ella Mai is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from London, England, United Kingdom signing to DJ Mustard’s very own Interscope Records imprint 10 Summers Records over a decade ago. Her first few EPs Time as well as Change & Ready were all solid preludes ahead of her acclaimed eponymous full length debut, following up her sophomore effort Heart on My Sleeve & the most recent extended play 3 coinciding the end of her 20s with her 3rd studio album asking Do You Still Love Me?.

“There Goes My Heart” was a lavish R&B intro with some finger snaps advising Jayson Tatum to not look or touch because that’s the last thing she wants whereas “100” goes for a more atmospheric vibe instrumentally singing about love never being 50/50 & wanting to give this guy the best love imaginable. “My Mind” describes all the ways her man continues to impress her & things not being too risky with him while “Somebody’s Son” sings about being weak for an individual who gets anything he wants from her.

3’s trap soul outro “Little Things” reappears towards the end of the 1st half describing her willingness to do the simplest activities with Jayson by her side just before “Outside” exuberantly sings about the comfort of her own home being her favorite place to be since there isn’t shit out there for her the way she sees it. After the “Audio Message” interlude, “Luckiest Man” soothingly kicks off the 3rd quarter bragging that they don’t make women like her anymore leading into “Might Just” singing about burning the whole roof down.

“Tell Her” cavernously advises her ex-boyfriend to let his new girl know that he still has feelings towards Ella while “Bonus” moodily goes back to the trap soul vibes singing about Jayson keeping her focused. “1st Day” has a more laidback sound to it telling her boyfriend that she’s fucking with him every day of the year & after “Chasing Circles” explains how she’d rather stay true to herself instead of faking the funk, “No Angels” blends R&B & gospel for the outro singing that we should be grateful until the time she & her partner have is up.

Do You Still Love Me? takes a more intentional approach than any of Ella Mai’s previous material in the past decade has done & it makes for the most intimate statement of her whole career. Using a myriad of perspectives for an intimate look at her life & a soulful journey through love, she delves into love’s complexities with a new outlook on that & life in general since she conceived a great deal of the album during after her pregnancy & postpartum with her mentor’s detailed production making big improvements above Heart on My Sleeve’s.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Ella Mai – “3” review

London, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter Ella Mai celebrating her 30th birthday with her 4th EP. Signing to DJ Mustard’s very own Interscope Records imprint 10 Summers Records, her first few EPs Time as well as Change & Ready were all solid preludes ahead of her acclaimed eponymous full length debut studio album. Her sophomore effort Heart on My Sleeve would also be well received & 2 years later, she’s dropping off a 3-track offering produced by Mustard.

“Hearts on Deck” is this infectiously catchy ass opener singing about how this person’s next move better be the best one whereas “One of Those” samples I’ll Be Around” by Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green of the Goodie Mob subunit of the Dungeon Family collective admitting that she can’t get her boyfriend Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics off her mind. “Little Things” ends the EP on some trap soul vibes wanting to take some time thank y’all & just let you know just how you make her proud.

Introducing a fresh chapter in Mai’s career now that her 20s are behind her, 3 finds her & DJ Mustard’s reinforcing her signature soulful sound bringing listeners into a journey of love, connection & self-awareness. It also mirrors her personal growth & evolution, aligning beautifully with the themes of maturity & discovery reflected throughout the course of a 10 & a half minute listening experience without any features whatsoever.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

DJ Mustard – “Faith of a Mustard Seed” review

DJ Mustard is a 34 year old producer, DJ, songwriter, record executive & rapper from Los Angeles, California known for being a pioneer of the ratchet music scene. He sure enough embarked on a solo career almost a decade ago by releasing 10 Summers through Roc Nation Records & Republic Records, both of whom would also put out the sophomore effort Cold Summer. Mustard later departed following the mixed reception that his first couple LPs to form his own label 10 Summers Records & enlisted Interscope Records to distribute the more well-received Perfect 10 & considering that he produced one of the biggest singles of the year “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar a few months ago, it raised the anticipation for his 4th album higher.

“Show Me the Way” by Kirk Franklin is a gospel opener advising not letting anything take your faith in God from you whereas “Up Now” by the BlueBucksClan, Lil Yachty & 42 Dugg works in synths & hi-hats to talk about making it out of the trenches. “Pressured Up” by ScHoolboy Q & Vince Staples with co-production from Terrace Martin gives off a bit of a futuristic mobb vibe for those looking to let loose during ghetto parties, but then “One of Them Ones” by Quavo & Rob49 hops over a violin-laced trap beat so both of them get boastful.

Meanwhile on “Parking Lot”, we have Travis Scott on some soulful trap shit talking about being as hard as Scott La Rock leading into “A Song for Mom” by Ty$ following the “7 to 7” skit for an R&B jam dedicated to all the mothers out in the world. “Worth a Heartbreak” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Blxst returns for a symphonic trap flare to the beat discussing that they both deserve nothing less than real just before the lavish “Truth Is” by Roddy Ricch rides through the night with his high beams ons.

“Mines” by Future melodically refuses to share his partner with anyone else taking her on vacation while “1 Bad Decision” by Ella Mai & Roddy Ricch crosses over pop rap & R&B firing rounds to the point where 911 has to be called. “Yak’s Prayer” by Kodak Black is this soulful/trap hybrid talking about the streets scarring people while the laidback “Ghetto” by Lil Durk & Young Thug talks about the being hood nearly every day of the week. “Pray for Me” ends Faith of a Mustard Seed with DJ Mustard himself giving a jab at rapping for 10 whole minutes.

15 years in the game & numerous hits under his belt spanning present day, what DJ Mustard has given us in Faith of a Mustard Seed has become an inspiring & deeply personal project that encapsulates his growth & dedication since. His sound being the ratchet scene has certainly expanded in that span of time from pop rap to R&B, gospel music, soul music, trap, orchestral music & mobb music allowing a consistent guest list to handle the performances up until the closer.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!