Shelley FKA DRAM, Shelley FKA DRAM | Album Review 💿

DRAM, reborn as Shelley FKA DRAM, and embracing R&B exclusively, shines on his short but incredibly sweet self-titled sophomore album.

“Ain’t no tellin what I’m finna be on / I’m beyond all that fuck shit…” Woo! Those lyrics, ladies and gentlemen, are among the most beloved from 🎵“Broccoli”, the 2016 🏆 Grammy-nominated hit from 🎙DRAM.  “Broccoli” appeared on the hip-hop musician’s debut album, 💿 Big Baby DRAM.  Unfortunately, following the pretty sweet debut, it would take nearly five years before a new full-length album would materialize.  But at least we made it, right? Right! With DRAM now going by 🎙 Shelley FKA DRAM and embracing his R&B side exclusively, he releases his sophomore album, 💿 Shelley FKA DRAM.  Shelley, which runs just 10 tracks deep and 38 minutes long, proves to be well worth the wait.

“All Pride Aside”

Shelley FKA DRAM kicks things off soulfully – we’d expect no less. ✅ 🎵 “All Pride Aside” is buttery smooth in all aspects.  Beginning with DRAM himself, he serves up expressive, sophisticated vocals, showing off his gorgeous upper register.  He enlists fellow R&B standout 🎙 Summer Walker for the assist.  As we’ve come to expect from Walker, she continues to deliver a cooler brand of R&B – more laid back and chill, yet still expressive.  While I’d argue DRAM is the more dynamic of the two vocalists on “All Pride Aside,” the end result is positive, period.

“There’s no such thing as cool / When passionate love sets fire to the room.” True! Following an awesome opener, DRAM keeps things going incredibly strong on ✅ 🎵 “Exposure.”  Another silky-smooth record, Shelley truly shows off his vocal skills.  We always knew he possessed a golden set of pipes to match his big personality (that smile is infectious) but his vocals may honestly be underrated.  The soulfulness and sexiness that he showcases is simply amazing as you buy everything that he sells as he “exposes” himself to her.  The chorus is the crowning achievement by all means:

“Let me love you inside-out and outside-in (Yeah, yeah)
Let me touch your soul just like I touch your skin (Yeah, ayy, ayy, yeah, woah, woah)
Let me love you inside-out and outside-in
Let me love you over and over again.”

“Something About Us”  

Safe to say, Shelley FKA DRAM starts off with a pretty sweet one-two punch.  Post- “Exposure,” DRAM keeps things on the ‘up and up.’ 🎵 “Something About Us” keeps a more soulful brand of R&B alive and well, hearkening back to those sweet days of neo-soul.  Clearly, Shelley is an old soul, and he’s a better artist for it.  Again, the vocals are the biggest triumph.  The production and the overall aesthetic are also incredibly noteworthy.  The four-and-half-minute joint is followed by another slice of heaven, the incredibly thoughtful ode to her, ✅ 🎵 “Beautiful.”  “Beautiful as stars when they’re lit by the moon / I said beautiful and lady it’s you,” he sings on the chorus, continuing, “Beautiful as flowers when they first start to bloom.”  The lyrics are quite classy, while the production (🎛 Rogét Chahayed and (🎛 Some Randoms) is incredibly refined.  Listening to “Beautiful,” is sounds like sheer bliss.

As ‘beautiful’ as “Beautiful” is, Shelley FKA DRAM truly outdoes himself on ✅ 🎵 “The Lay Down.” Perhaps this review reads like a broken record, but the lushness and buttery smooth vibes are breathtaking. There may be no better example than “The Lay Down,” which definitely shows various faces of R&B you might say. DRAM definitely sings angelically, as does his 🏆 Oscar and Grammy-winning co-vocalist, 🎙 H.E.R. The chemistry is epic.  Also, throw in 🎛 watt writing and working behind the boards and “The Lay Down” only grows into a bigger juggernaut.  The two best moments:  The chorus (of course) and a stellar guitar feature.

“’93 Acura Vigor” 

Phew, “The Lay Down” is a tough act to follow.  Of course, when the next song, ✅ 🎵 “’93 Acura Vigor,” features another 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Erykah Badu, there’s NO drop-off.  Once more, Shelley is paired with an artist who complements him sensationally.  Of course, DRAM collaborated with Badu previously on 🎵 “WiFi” from his 2016 debut album, Big Baby DRAM.  The vibe continues to be lit with love continuing to serve as the driving force.

On the brief but potent 🎵 “Married Woman,” DRAM admits to his sinful ways: “Sleeping with a married woman / Consummating with a married woman.”  It’s wrong (“Lord knows what we doing is wrong”) but oh, does it feel so right, especially to the listener’s ears (“Late-night skin to skin / Fornicate all night long”).  Part of the reason it feels so, right? A magical, ripe falsetto. Continued brilliance on the production end of things (watt and 🎛 Dre Moon) helps too!

“Cooking with Grease” 

Throughout this self-titled album, DRAM provides commentary regarding love and relationships.  After opening up about infidelity on “Married Woman,” on the interlude, he speaks about cheating, which is fueled by horniness.  I guess it makes sense that on the sensual gem ✅🎵 “Cooking with Grease” we get a stimulating lyric like “Hot sex out of the oven, baby, we’re cooking with grease / And next time you need a lil’ something, girl, start looking for me.”  Woo!  Of course, prior to those lines, Shelley informs us that she’s got to clean things up since she’s cheating:

“It’s got you dotting your I’s
And crossing your T’s
It’s got you cleaning your dirt
Before it gets back to me.”

Tit for tat, given the fact that, well, DRAM starts cheating too. On the penultimate 🎵 “Remedies,” Shelley continues to bless us with his vocal skills.  It begins with the “whoa(s)” on the intro, and further progresses throughout the course of “Remedies.”  Notably, DRAM has some more hip-hop oriented moments, with some of the rhythmic, fast-paced lines.  Even so, they remain idiomatic of R&B, which is truly where he excels.  Helping to provide those sweet “Remedies” on the production side of things is 🎛 Josh Abraham and 🎛 Oligee. Shelley concludes Shelley with a bit more bite and funkiness on 🎵 “Rich & Famous.”  He’s a bit more overt, bringing even more swagger to the table. Even if he is indeed “rich and famous” and definitely has a reason to flex, he makes it clear on the chorus, “Cars, clothes, jewels and fame / In real life it don’t matter.” Agreed!

Final Thoughts 💭

It took five years for DRAM, now Shelley FKA DRAM to release a new album, but his self-titled sophomore album – and debut as Shelley – was well worth the wait.  There are no misses to be found as every song is definitely worth spinning.  The production is superb, the songwriting is pretty sweet, the vocals are electrifying, and the collaborations are all worthwhile too.  What’s most impressive about this album, of course, is just how talented a singer Shelley is.  Him and album number two receive my seal of approval! 

✅ Gems 💎: “All Pride Aside,” “Exposure,” “Beautiful,” “The Lay Down,” “’93 Acura Vigor” & “Cooking with Grease”

🎙 Shelley FKA DRAM • 💿 Shelley FKA DRAM • 🏷 EMPIRE / Atlantic • 🗓 4.30.21

[📷: EMPIRE / Atlantic]