Up-and-coming contemporary R&B singer SoMo showcases potential on My Life II, but needs to take a bigger step forward. 

After dropping his self-titled album back in 2014, R&B singer SoMo returns with his latest project, the nine-track mixtape My Life II. SoMo’s previous album was ultimately an undercooked effort that showed potential but not a fully developed, transcendent musician. Anyone hoping that My Life II would showcase SoMo 2.0 might also be a bit underwhelmed. Even so, My Life II has some worthwhile moments.

“Bad Chick”

Brief Intro “Wide Awake” may not change the world, but give it credit for capturing the listeners’ attention and building more interest in My Life II. “Bad Chick” is a more notable track, featuring a familiar script used by any number of artists. Contextually, “Bad Chick” is a standout, yet in the bigger scheme, it’s good without a heightened level of distinctiveness. This lack of a distinct artistic persona is something that holds back a talented upstart like SoMo, who is definitely on a major label for a good reason.

“Hide And Freak”

“Why Wait” is slickly produced and horny in its intentions. This is the natural course of things following “Bad Chick” and the lustful tilt of SoMo’s music. It’s pleasant, yet not necessarily riveting. “Hide And Freak” is stronger, even if it’s script is ‘on blast’ given an overt title. Making it even more sex-tacular is featuring “all I do is talk about sex” Trey Songz. Does it work? Yes, it’s a standout.

“Make Up Sex”

“On & On” is dizzying, given SoMo’s rhythmic vocals. Like the majority of My Life II, it’s well-produced, solid in quality, yet falls short of taking a big step. “Make Up Sex” is stronger, despite revealing its cards and leaving little to the imagination. To quote the chorus:

“Work it out, up and down / sweat it out, make up sex….”

Nothing left to the imagination.

Perhaps “You Can Buy Everything” is SoMo’s attempt at sincerity… at least in part. He kills the vibe in the second verse, beginning with his utterance of the f-bomb. But beyond slaughtering an emotional moment with a physical one, schmaltziness is the big offender here.

“I just wanna feel you / I just wanna feel right / I just wanna…”

Repetitive desperation to the nth degree. It’s not meant to be – you can feel what SoMo’s going for – but it falls short. “Fallin’ Up” concludes My Life II respectably.

Final Thoughts

So how does My Life II stack up? Eh, it’s okay, but it goes back to desiring a vocal talent like SoMo to step up his games beyond tried and true clichés that anybody and/or his brother could do. No, SoMo doesn’t need to be this great innovative artist, but stronger, more distinct material couldn’t hurt. My Life II hence is good enough – particularly for fans – but not definitively great.

Gems: “Bad Chick,” “Hide And Freak” & “Make Up Sex”  

SoMo • My Life II • Republic • Released: 9.11.15

Photo Credit: Republic