Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit” | Track Review 🎵

[usr 4.5]

R&B standout Steve Lacy ‘knocks it out of the park’ on “Bad Habit,” his second single from his sophomore album, Gemini Rights.

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”S” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”][/otw_shortcode_dropcap]even words: “I wish I knew you wanted me.” Ugh, don’t we all wish that we had that knowledge, 🎙 Steve Lacy. The talented, 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B musician returns with his sophomore album, 💿 Gemini Rights (July 15, 2022).  In advance of the album, he released the single,  🎵 “Mercury”, followed by the superb song at hand, 🎵 “Bad Habit”.

Lacy oozes talent, period.  “Bad Habit” highlights his incredible musicianship. He’s skilled as a guitarist, producer, and vocalist.  The timbre of his voice is radiant as he expresses regret about not expressing his feelings to a potential lover – he’s got soul.  “If I knew I’d be with you  / Is it too late to pursue?” he asks in the first verse. In the second verse, he seeks transparency, singing, “I wish you wouldn’t play with me / I wanna know.”  While it seems, he’s pointing the finger during the verses, in the chorus, he takes some responsibility, asserting, “I bite my tongue, it’s a bad habit / Kinda mad I didn’t take a stab at it.” Beyond the chorus and regretful post-chorus, the bridge is intriguing, mostly a cappella, leading to a unique break – a change of pace. There’s also a compelling outro, which especially takes me back to the hip-hop soul/neo-soul era.

Final Thoughts 💭

Steve Lacy knocks it out of the park with 🎵 “Bad Habit”.  It’s well-written, with a relatable theme and lyrics.  It’s well-produced with a palette of soulful but non-anachronistic sounds that fit the aesthetic in 2022.  Finally, Lacy sounds amazing, perfectly capturing this regretful, love-oriented sentiment perfectly.  Impressive to the n^th degree. 

[usr 4.5]

🎙 Steve Lacy • 💿 Gemini Rights • 🏷 L-M / RCA • 🗓 7.15.22

[📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]