Singer-songwriter Bryson Tiller’s fourth studio album, self-titled “Bryson Tiller” was expected to be a hit, following the hype of his Soundcloud series, Tiller Tuesdays and Slum Tiller. However, it is unfortunately underwhelming, lacking elements of the style he rose to fame with. Tiller is known for his signature sound, Trapsoul, that he debuted in 2015 with the album T R A P S O U L, which incorporates 90s R&B samples layered atop trap drums. Eight years later, this self-titled album is a make-or-break project to prove his ability to continue wowing R&B listeners, and it doesn’t deliver, despite having a few strong tracks.
The build-up from intro track “http://” transitions beautifully into “Attention,” sounding like something you’d play while driving your DeLorean through space and time. Its low-key, ambient instrumental is a good backdrop for Tiller here—it doesn’t take away from his vocals whatsoever, only adding to the cyberpunk-futuristic aesthetic the cover hints at.
“Attention” starts the album feeling reminiscent of T R A P S O U L’s “Let ’em Know,” with Tiller sounding eager and hungry to perform. This song is definitely worth revisiting and is expected to get a lot of plays as the record ages.
From the first few listens, “Persuasion” ft. Victoria Monet seemed more of a sensual cut that didn’t hit at first. Yet after a few more listens, the clever wordplay shines through in lines like “he asked if he could grab all on my absolutely” and “she gave me that persuasion.” It’s a fun and humorous way of making this track PG for radio play.
Victoria Monet did an excellent job with the chorus—very soulful indeed, with Tiller harmonizing with her on the chorus. This could become a fan favorite as the album ages.
“Ciao!” has an interesting beat selection, with Tiller hopping on a drill beat and keeping a solid flow, even as a singer. The horns on the back end of the track also create an anthemic, ethereal sound. Though it’s short, there’s a lot of replay value as Tiller hits you with a quick banger and says, “Ciao!”, moving onto the next track.
Tiller uses a jersey beat with a sample feature from Clara La San on “Random Access Memories [RAM].” The beat itself is very ambient, the intro being a warm pad and some glitched-out vocals from the two. The latter half of the song picks up, adding more jersey beat elements as La San sings a catchy chorus that hits with the kick drums.
The overall sound of this track is something that could easily translate over to TikTok or a house party playlist, just off the instrumental. This track could be an underrated cut on the project as the record ages.
“Calypso,” the lead single for Bryson Tiller, is a highly-anticipated track for fans, having been teased at shows and listening parties. The track opens up with a violin riff and chopped vocals, which is a nice callback to T R A P S O U L’s sound. The writing for this track is solid, with the allusion of Greek mythology’s Calypso serving as a metaphor for being attracted to a girl, but knowing it won’t work out long term. Besides the lyrics, the overall rhythm of the track is solid too, with the drums providing this style of rhythm that’ll result in a head nod. It’s a strong single to start the album rollout, which defied expectations going in.
There are some good tracks, but the clutter in the middle of this album is hard to overlook. This project originally sparked interest, with Tiller’s collaborations with Grammy-winning executive producer Charlie Heat and other R&B artists. However, Heat should’ve utilized more cyberpunk themes in terms of production for these tracks.
For example, the samples on “F4U” and “Waterfalls” are some nice ear candy, but they don’t relate to the overall theme of the album since they suffer from a lack of production. Other issues within track placements themselves, with “Stay Gold” and “Whatever She Wants” dropping before the album came out.
It’s surprising that these two tracks made the final cut, but that may be a product of streaming. Many artists have taken advantage of streaming by making their albums more bloated in hopes of gaining more streams. Instead of focusing on revenue, it would’ve been more beneficial for Tiller to prioritize making a project with a sound that isn’t so generic.
Furthermore, some tracks try to blend genre-blend, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s good when artists try out different genres. Songs like “Assume the Position” and “Undertow” are valid attempts at a more commercial sound, but these tracks probably won’t get a lot of replay, since fans know Tiller for his R&B style. Tracks like these would’ve fit better on the Tiller Tuesdays series due to those songs being experimental for him. More invested fans could listen to these songs on Soundcloud and appreciate his attempt at trying a new genre without pushing it to the forefront for casual fans. Tiller gets some points for trying something new, but these tracks shouldn’t have been on the album.
Overall, Tiller’s singing and rapping is consistently strong, even on slower cuts like “Peace Interlude” and “ÆON L U S T,” and on tracks lacking the captivating production that made up the first half of the album. He does make up for it with vocals, taking the reins when the beat isn’t so layered.
There are definitely some tracks worth revisiting on Bryson Tiller. We’ll see how the album ages in time, but so far, it’s looking like a slow burn in the middle bookended by a few hits.
Unfortunately, the damper that is the middle of the album can’t be hidden, even with how good these other songs are. Sequencing for albums is important, and Tiller’s failure to curate a good tracklist is a big setback here. Whatever his initial plan was, it got lost in translation.
