Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaican singer/songwriter & deejay Shenseea back for a brand new extended play of material. 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 formerly known as Kanye West’s final Def Jam album DONDA. Her own debut Alpha under Interscope Records further solidified Shenyeng as dancehall’s most exciting new artist & looks to make up for the sophomore effort Never Gets Late Here’s lukewarm reception to drop Catalyst in celebration of her new contract with Columbia Records.
The 2nd & final single “Vulnerability” kicks things off with this dancehall intro seeking susceptibility whereas “Playtime” featuring Asake instrumentally embraces a more atmospheric vibe so they can sing about a situationship. “Danger” moves on from there telling this guy to push up on her enough to bring the wildness out of her prior to “Garden” singing about turning off the lights before she & her lover get down to business.
“Body Language” produced by London on da Track]m might be my favorite here from the beat to the lyrics cautioning things are on the verge of getting freakier while “Private” featuring Loe Shimmy sings & raps about staying up conversing online & layin’ up with each other in person. “2 Face Gyal” airs out a woman who she feels is envious towards her & the lead single “Talk to Me Nuh” featuring Vybz Kartel wraps up Catalyst reuniting with the icon who believed in her from the start.
The divisive reception Never Get Late Here got makes more sense to me now that it’s been confirmed that it was Shenseea’s last offering under Interscope, but Catalyst celebrates this new era of her career by reminding the world of her place amongst dancehall’s most dominant forces in recent memory & expanding her sound with secondary influences of R&B & Afrobeats now that her new label has granted her more freedom on the creative aspect of things.
Score: 3.5/5
Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!
