Saint Levant, From Gaza, With Love | Album Review 💿

Young, rising multicultural musician Saint Levant showcases plenty of potential on his debut EP, From Gaza, With Love.

Dashing good looks and ample talent make a formidable combination! 🎙 Saint Levant (Marwan Abdelhamid) has both. He is a musician on an upward trajectory.  One of the things that makes Abdelhamid so special is his diverse background: Palestinian, French, Algerian, and Serbian. Woo! Furthermore, he raps in multiple languages: English, French, and Arabic. On his 18-minute, debut EP, 💿 From Gaza, With Love, Marwan showcases incredible potential over the course of seven tracks, including terrific singles, 🎵 “FaceTime” and most notably, his ace in the hole, 🎵 “Very Few Friends”.

via GIPHY

“Tell Me I’m Dreaming”

On the opener, 🤩 🎵 “Tell Me I’m Dreaming,” Saint Levant shows off those trilingual skills, WOO! Sure, he focuses mostly on English, but he throws in a few Arabic and French lines too. Furthermore, on this introductory track, he references his popular hit.  Notably, Marwan sets the tone with easygoing vibes. He’s buttery smooth, never seeming to perspire, yet still manage to drop some kick-ass bars.  The production work is a vibe in its own right, further fueling the fire with soul sample. Is it far-fetched to cite the influence of Drake? Nope, not in the slightest! 🎵 “From Gaza, With Love” keeps things ultra-compelling. I love the middle eastern sound effects within the backdrop which are fitting given his heritage. There is a marvelous percussive component to the title track, which clocks in under two minutes. Even so, the aesthetic – the vibes – remain potent to the n^th degree. Abdelhamid maintains his poise, never getting too high or too low. Once more, there are some memorable bars in the mix (“Somebody tell Bella Hadid / Let’s change that to Abdelhamid / And I don’t mean to come off too strong / Bs il asil fala7i”), and of course, Arabic and French too!

“Baby, this is way better than a FaceTime / Nine-hour difference but you still mine, uh.” On 🤩 🎵 “FaceTime”, the magic continues for Saint Levant.  He has the future in mind. “And I don’t usual like to waste time,” he continues in the chorus, “But you can waste mine, you can waste mine, uh.” The first verse is performed in English exclusively.  Here, Abdelhamid mentions proposing marriage, opting for a family as opposed to a Grammy, and buying “a house on the coast of Brazil.” Verse two finds him rapping in English, French, and Arabic! He drops a stellar English line when he asserts, “I’d rather go to Tunisia and just turn off our phones.” By verse three, it’s all French, and it sounds so sexy! Throw in a bridge, where he showcases his desires, and capping things off with the chorus once more, and “FaceTime” is incredibly sweet.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: February 2023

“November” 

The woozy sounding synths shine on 🎵 “November,” another alluring moment from From Gaza, With Love. Once more, Abdelhamid gets a sizable lift thanks to the production (🎛 Henry Morris and Buddy Caderni). Shout out to the instrumental cues that Morris and Caderni serve up at the end of the track.  Regarding Saint Levant, his bars are rhythmic – confident, with no shortage of swagger.  The melodic chorus provides excellent contrast (“I know you want me, baby / But I’ll be gone until November”).

“Looking up and down, got her eyes on the prize / And I saw she got a man but I read between the lines.” The brilliant aesthetic that graces From Gaza, With Love continues on 🤩 🎵 “Between The Lines.” The guitar riff is infectious while the beat goes hard. Once more, Saint Levant maintains his cool – he’s one composed individual, even musically! Incredibly suave, Abdelhamid is adept at delivering sensual sugar honey iced tea: “You’ll never find another Arab that’s better than me / I know you wanna be a part of the family tree / But when your legs up on my shoulders it’s harder to speak / But keep talking to me, hayati.” Again, he dips into his prodigious linguistic skills. The sung vocals on the outro are unexpected but keep things fresh.

“Very Few Friends” 

“I wanna take you to Paris and spoil you / I wanna go to Marseille and enjoy you / I want those guys in your DM’s who talk to themselves / And then tell all their friends that they know you.” Woo! 🎙 Saint Levant serves up good vibes – better yet, sexy vibes – on 🤩 🎵 “Very Few Friends”.  The brief, ear-catching single, released in 2022, showcases the appeal, talent, and versatility of Abdelhamid. Like much of From Gaza, With Love, he never gets too high. The sophisticated backdrop, produced by Henry Morris, gives off love-oriented, romantic, R&B vibes.  Abdelhamid raps smoothly, supporting romantic sensibilities.  After dropping some Arabic rhymes, he continues spitting in the first verse, “Love boy Levant back in the building.” He goes on to drop  French as well.  Even if you’re not proficient at Arabic or French, English lines like, “We have designer sex in the morning / Expensive when you moanin’,” as well as the memorable closing lyric, “When we come together it’s a fuckin’ problem” makes it clear what he has in mind. The chorus is a highlight: “I have very few friends / I’m focused on very few friends.” 🎵 “Very Few Friends” gives a terrific snapshot of Saint Levant, showing his versatility.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: November 2022
• Friend: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 1 (2023)
• 13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs (2023)
• 13 Utterly Friend-tastic Friend Songs (2023)

It’s an arduous task following up “Very Few Friends,” one of Saint Levant’s best songs to date. No worries, as the seventh track, 🎵 “See You Again”, continues to serve up a #BIG MOOD.  Marwan continues to be effortless in his delivery. Even as his rhythm intensifies, he never overdoes things – he’s cool, calm, and collected.  Matters of the heart play a key role with the rapper reflecting on his missteps. “I left you when I need you / And I got used to sleep on my own,” he asserts in the verse, adding, “I know that I mistreated you / But I just really hope I get to see you again.” Hopefully Marwan, hopefully.

Final Thoughts 💭 

All told, there is just something special about Saint Levant.  On From Gaza, With Love, he brings the freshness. No, he’s not the second coming – few are – but, there is lots to like.  The potential is through the roof.  And the music, just one EP in, is totally worth checking out.  Don’t sleep on Marwan! 

via GIPHY

🤩 Gems 💎: “Tell Me I’m Dreaming,” “Facetime,” “Between The Lines” & “Very Few Friends”

🎙 Saint Levant • 💿 From Gaza, With Love • 🏷  2048 LLC • 🗓 3.10.23

[📷: 2048 LLC]