R&B/pop singer/songwriter blackbear is lukewarm at best on his new, effects-laden, break-up single, “the 1.”

Blackbear has been relatively quiet throughout 2018.  That’s understandable, considering he had a monstrous 2017.  Solo album (digital druglord), joint album (mansionz), and a mixtape (cybersex).  Despite keeping a low profile, he’s back with a relatively quietly released single, “the 1.” Is “the 1” the perfect formula to give the singer another hit the caliber of “do re mi?” The answer is NO – keeping it 100.

“The 1” benefits from a respectable length – about three-and-a-half minutes in duration.  The theme is familiar – blackbear has been dumped, and he’s attempting to move on.  In the process, his voice is drenched in vocal effects – reverb and autotune among them. Personally, the prevalence of vocal effects takes away from the lyrics, at least to an extent. Moving on to the form, “the 1” features two relatively short verses. The pre-chorus, which follows each verse, is propelled by pummeling drums.  Interestingly, there re more words here than on the two verses.

“So, tell me why it is you’re moving / All the way to Portland / Tell me why it’s so important? / I text you, you ignore it / It’s useless and it’s boring / I’m unhappy in my foreign / Wanna find a cliff and floor it / You left me laid out on the floor / I didn’t know / (I didn’t know).”

The chorus is simple, with repetition centered around the lyric, “You’d be the one, the one to ruin everything.” At the end, the chorus is repeated three times, with a variety of production tracks, sound effects, etc.

Final Thoughts

As aforementioned, blackbear is unlikely to earn another hit the caliber of “do re mi” with “the 1.” In my opinion, this AIN’T “the 1” – it’s lukewarm at best.  It’s not a flop – it’s okay – but nothing special or particularly memorable.

Blackbear • the 1 – Single • Alamo / Interscope • Release: 8.23.18

Photo Credit: Alamo / Interscope