Tag Archives: Marvin Brooks

Album Review: Marvin Brooks – I’ll Be Fine

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Album Review of Marvin Brooks: I’ll Be Fine (Position Music)

Marvin Brooks is one of the most widely-listenable, broadly-appealing artists in the musical lane that mixes R&B and hip-hop, with this Ghanaian-German artist showcasing several other influences, as well, and displaying a sharp ear for pop sensibilities. There’s plenty of seriousness in the lyrics, jumping back and forth across the line that separates life’s difficulty with hopefulness, providing a depth that sustains multiple beginning-to-end journeys through the album. At the same time, the variety of song tempos, rhythms, and musical influences provide variety across the well-crafted songs, most of which would be enjoyable listens with or without the well-crafted lyrics.

Marvin opens the album with a song that starts the listener off with an uplifted mood and cleanses the musical palate. “Feel It” is a fun, uptempo tune with lots of musical open space upon which a rhythmic, tunefully-spoken-word singing style blends with celebratory, soaring vocals.

Marvin Brooks

photo courtesy of DRPR

The change in tone in “Seven Forty Five” conveys the shift to seriousness, as it’s an introspective number with a pleasantly rhythmic, nearly hypnotic vocal delivery. Though sonically quite different, the next song, “Around Me,” could be described similarly.

“Ghost” is slower and rather ethereal, with a darker rhythm offset with recurring, playful notes and slight tempo shifts, providing the requisite variety throughout the song.

You’ll hear other broader influences on the record, too. Notably, reggae rhythms make a significant appearance, driving one of my several favorites in this collection, the memorably rhythmic “On the Low,” featuring Kataem. It’s a tune you’ll catch yourself singing along with by the second or third listen.

Full-0n Gospel opens and drives “As I Went Down,” with some well-fitting rapped lyrics that recall painful racial history while looking hopefully forward.

“I’ll Be Fine” is another standout track that deserves mention. It’s a well-crafted open letter to family, sincere enough to suggest it’s personally deeply felt, with lyrics like, “Oh mama, I promise everything will be just fine; oh mama, don’t worry ’bout your son, I’ll be alright.” The song moves along very slowly and heavily with depth and gravitas, with musical sensibilities that make it an easy, pleasant listen.

Other favorites on the album are the faster-paced “Shake What Your Mama,” the thoughtfully lyrical love poem “By My Side,” and the hypnotically soaring “Too Close.” In addition, there’s “Unstoppable,” which taps into raw emotion and musically ratchets up in tension over the course of the song, making it a mesmerizing track.

By the time you get to album-closing “If I Fall,” it’s been an emotional ride, so the song’s mellow tone provides a soft landing, but don’t go sleeping on this sweetly sung song, as its lyrics provide the same comfortable calm exit as its music bed.

In summary, I’ll Be Fine is simultaneously a serious album and a fun listen. If you like your music to be satisfying and, at times, soul-searching, you’ll want to hear this disc. And if you just want cool music to enjoy, this is an album for you, too. Marvin Brooks is exceptionally talented, someone whose music needs to be on your radar.

Since This Release

Since I’ll Be Fine, Marvin has released several additional singles, his most recent being “Fire” featuring Worlasi, a song whose YouTube views have soared, suggesting it may be well on its way to being a hit. So once you’ve absorbed I’ll Be Fine, be sure to check out “Fire” and Marvin’s other single releases from the last couple of years. I’d also suggest checking out the review I wrote a couple years ago about the single “You Want It,” by 2WEI, featuing Marvin Brooks and Ohana Bam.

Looking Ahead

Too keep up with Marvin’s latest recordings and artist news, be sure to follow him on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Spotify, and sign up for his YouTube channel.

Single Review: 2WEI feat. Marvin Brooks & Ohana Bam – “You Want It”

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2WEI, Marvin Brooks & Ohana Bam

photo courtesy of DRPR

Single Review of 2WEI feat. Marvin Brooks & Ohana Bam: “You Want It” (Position Music)

Regular readers will remember how I was digging out from a massive backlog when I started writing reviews again regularly in mid-2020. In early September, when this single, “You Want It,” dropped into my inbox, I was still reviewing material I received in 2018. But this song is so catchy, so memorable, so much fun that I placed it into my review queue because I knew I had to share it with you, even if several months after its release.

2WEI feat. Marvin Brooks & Ohana Bam - You Want It single

image courtesy of DRPR

The music just explodes out of the speakers on this song. It’s the sort of tune you’d expect to hear during play stoppages in NBA arenas or perhaps as relief pitchers’ intro songs as they walk in from the bullpen. The rising and falling provide punch points perfect for action scenes if used for a movie trailer. And after I read that 2WEI (Simon Heeger and Christian Vorländer) were known for their trailers, that makes sense, too.

Marvin Brooks‘ powerful vocals work well alongside’s Ohana Bam‘s smooth, rhythmic rap, both atop 2WEI’s supportive music bed that takes the listener on a journey. Well, not so much “listener” as “get on your feet and dancer,” but you get the point.

Within the song, there are memorable lyrical bits, from the parts interspersed with “You want it” and “I got it” to the raps, there’s a lot unpack within this song about chasing your dreams, but it’s a fun ride and so worth it. Even the “la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la, whoa, whoa” bridge is a singalong bit by the second listen. 2WEI, with Marvin Brooks and Ohana Bam, have the makings of a crossover pop/hip-hop hit here. Give it a listen.