“Aces High,” a song performed by Serayah on the third season of Empire, suffers from the pitfalls of the soundtrack cut. 

Ah, the pitfalls of the television soundtrack. Single “Aces High” appeared on the penultimate episode of hip-hop drama Empire. Performed by Tiana (Serayah), “Aces High” plays upon clichés.  In other words, the record sounds generic and inauthentic.  The production work is in line with contemporary R&B and hip-hop, which is expected, but doesn’t make it “the second coming.” While the record isn’t particularly distinct, it does have a Latin, urban-pop quality.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it is slickly produced, even if it lacks that extra oomph.  Ultimately, there’s little here to rave about – this is the type of soundtrack record you listen to and you ask yourself, so what?

Serayah (Empire Cast) • “Aces High” • Twentieth Century Fox • Release: 12.2.16

Photo Credit: Twentieth Century Fox