An album from one of our own: 21 Steps Forward

Our very own Suraj (of EEE) has delivered his freshman project: 21 Steps Forward, a retrospective on his life thus far, expressing an ambitious and hustling worldview. And if I can be quite frank, this album surpassed my expectations. Big-band jazz backings and honky-tonk piano funk are the M.O. on this tape; the samples are well-picked and translate quite nicely to the rhythm section. On top of these fat beats comes the man, the myth, the legend himself, dropping mad bars and flowing competently.

The production is on-point throughout the LP. Suraj is well-mic’d and the samples fit well (cop “Caravan” on track 1). There are no glaring errors; in general, the album (and S-Jay’s Belfast accent) sound good.

The album gets close and personal, and quite effectively. Track 3 gives a frank perspective of S-Jay’s youth, identifying faults in his younger self and earnestly analyzing them from the perspective of his present (perhaps newfound) maturity. Though perhaps lost in the verse, there is a discernible sense of pathos imparted by these few well-executed bars. S-Jay executes enough well to hook the listener effectively, showing off a budding musicality with a neat bar here and a clever production trick there. There are rough patches, though. While the flows are generally good, there’s the occasional stray syllable, trying to work its way into the beat and missing. Though S-Jay covers pretty nicely, they still feel extra. In general, the flow (while competent) is not quite to the level of technicality that success in the rap game requires - a more precise control over the flow and the emoting alongside. To be honest, S-Jay sounds a bit like Will Smith, fostering an outlook that prioritizes idealist positivity over a more ruminating perspective that interacts with his character and actions in a more teleologically nuanced way. That is, he sounds cheesy sometimes. For one, S-Jay should have drawn clearer lines between cartoon characters (“I have a jet”) and deeper cuts that explore his personality (“Why’d I do things that made my mom cry?”). As an other example, I found the bars of “London Town” to be over-emoted; a slightly colder and more technically impressive flow would hook the listener more effectively, differentiate the verse from the chorus, and have him come across as less cheesy. How much do you need to play up a prolamation of love for the Tate Britain?

Then again, there are always rough spots on the first album. S-Jay has potential; I’m looking forward to the sophomore effort.

21 Steps Forward

3.5 Stars

Artist: S-Jay. Label: Self-released. Top Tracks: Time Passing, Old Times, Forward. For Fans Of: Wu-Tang Clan, Will Smith. 37 minutes