J-Sea - Sea Level (review)
Smooth alt-R&B adds serenity to a wave of thundering trap beats.
Score: 7/10
It’s not exactly a sea change for trap music, but it’s a welcome version of it as J-Sea hits his stride on his third album. He first made a splash on SoundCloud in 2015 with his version of Travis Scott’s A-Team, with a tighter song structure, rhythmically dynamic flows, and alt-R&B singing. It’s a bold move to one-up a superstar, but J-Sea can put himself on that level with his confidence and experience.
What immediately jumps out about his trap sound is the singing — it’s smooth, heavily processed, and tragically aching. When the instrumentation is thin, he likes to fill the air with his portamento slides, especially over the sparse piano chords of Talk Is cheap. There’s also his ghostly background vocals throughout the album that add foggy ambiance and melodic density, most notably on the gorgeous closer: Hyperfocused.
The booming sub-bass and hi-hat rolls are standard for his genre, but are adequate throughout and leave room for pianos and synths to shine through the stormy darkness of the album’s theme. The introduction features plinky piano chords and a staccato choir sample that sounds like it’s straight out of an animated Halloween movie. It shows that J-Sea cares for presentation and setup. By the midpoint of the album, the hazy murkiness can be a bit plodding, but then Stars kicks in. It’s the most lively track while staying true to J-Sea’s style.
Like the range of the weather, J-Sea’s association with someone can be tranquil or ugly. Many of the lyrics are dedicated to his loyal friends and family (or his "team” as he likes to call them.) “If I eat, then we eat, it goes all around,” he sings on Be Alright, a song about sticking together through this harsh year. There’s also a lot of messages to haters and those that underestimate him — “This is my show it’s a spectacle for the people who used to be skeptical. Really at the end of the day, I don’t ever change my ways. You either ride with me or you’re on the beach sitting back, feel the crash of the waves.” He plays a victim of betrayal a bit too often, but it’s balanced by the friendly features from Jules Anacua and X-Pert (who also worked behind the boards for the album.)
As a fairly straightforward trap project, it stays afloat with its sentimental alt-R&B, cloudy atmosphere, and a character with passionate feelings (positive or negative) toward those around him. It’s another example of the sprawling sonics of RGV trap music. Here’s to riding the wave.
Score: 7/10
Listen to Sea Level below or click here for other streaming apps
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