Jalyn – Summer of ’88 [NEW MUSIC]

For all you lovebirds out there who prefer sentiments expressed through R.hytmic A.merican P.oetry , we’re going to smooth it out a bit, and present to you something of a multiple-threat in composer, producer, songwriter, singer and rapper Jalyn, who is releasing his “micro-album” Pushing Through The Walls, fittingly, around Valentine’s Day.

“Summer of ’88,” a tale of found love, is a solid attempt at smoothed out hip hop that takes all the syrup of a Drake, with none of the edge. Jalyn’s calm flow drifts lightly over a lounge-ready R&B foundation, one with a vibe, to me, slightly reminiscent of Raphael Saadiq. Sung choruses, varying instrumentation and casual whistling come together in a seemingly purposeful effort to craft a universally acceptable love-rap song.

And for the most part, “Summer of ’88” succeeds. While I can easily picture it playing in the background of a grown folks lounge, it doesn’t mean that the San Francisco-native is going to be relegated to the background, as “Summer of ’88” could just as easily be seen in video form on VH1 Soul. Jalyn, who has produced music for K-OS and Snoop Dogg and has scored for film and TV, appears to be a competent composer and arranger. Though not necessarily a mind-blowing musical discovery, “Summer of ’88” is a fine effort by a behind-the-boards guy starting to establish himself on the mic.

Based on a couple of other joints from the upcoming Pushing Through The Walls, Jalyn is certainly much more R&B than rap, crafting smoothed out, safe, relaxing R&B compositions, with a touch of hip hop here and there. Nothing wrong with that, and we expect there will be an audience for this guy and his music, so we’ll be keeping an ear out for more from Jalyn.

Check out his episode of The Bloom Effect’s Efficacy series to get a little more insight. Visit Jalyn’s SoundCloud page for more as well.

Jalyn – Summer of ’88 (download)
[audio:summer.mp3]