Review Summary: An interesting and intriguing venture into pop.
I've never been much of a fan of American Idol, the national music competition that has been airing on FOX for the last decade-plus. I wasn't really into watching Simon Cowell rip aspiring artists during auditions or during the live show during most of the show's lifespan, nor was I into any of the winners of the show like Phillip Phillips or Jennifer Hudson. There's no doubt the winners have tasted immense success commercially, nailing numerous Grammys and tens of millions of albums sold which has given Idol its premier reputation. However, I've always have had a problem in terms of what the winners have brought to the table post-Idol. They've lacked the distinction in their music, not trying to break out from the rest of their respective genre but merely being like the rest of them. It hasn't hurt them, considering the commercial success the numerous winners have received: but I've always hoped to see an aspiring artist who auditioned for the competition that had these traits yet also had a significant chance of doing well in Idol.
After the demise of the X-Factor USA in 2013, which I watched mostly because of the younger demographic (mostly my generation) of artists who qualified in the competition, I decided to give Idol another try. There were many aspiring, un-noticed artists who auditioned and made it through who had unique voices but just didn't appeal to me at all. Then there was Jhameel Kim. A young Korean man in his early-twenties, his rendition of a early T-Pain hit caught my attention with how refreshing and distinctive he did his audition. His voice isn't bad, but come on now this is the first audition. He'll get better in time. After the audition I decided to search him up, and I was bewildered when I found out that Jhameel has released three albums, a couple EPs, and nailed in a major collaboration with up-and-coming rapper Hoodie Allen in 2012 on a track called "No Faith In Brooklyn" prior to Idol. He has a stacked music resume to show for. Being the music enthusiast that I am, I bought his entire discography on iTunes and first listened to his 2009 debut self-titled LP to see what he brings to the table. After playing it on repeat a few times over, I couldn't be more stunned in how Jhameel hasn't broken out prior to Idol, because this material clicks.
It immediately immerses you as soon as you hear the first track, the atmospheric "From The Cliff Above The Atlantic" with its spacey synths and thunderous drums leading the charge. What I found to be very impressive was the sheer fact that Jhameel is also, along with being an artist, is also an experienced audio engineer: which led me to the mere conclusion that he mixed and produced this self-titled album in its entirety. It is nothing short of impressive, and the production value validates that with the soothing atmosphere of tracks such as the first to the unique use of water and the clinking of pans and utensils as the beat in "Opinum And The Royal Children". It gives his mostly indie-pop material a unique and refreshing edge, something different in which I wasn't really expecting at all. The lyricism definitely has a spiritual influence tied to it, with the electronic-pop based "Utilitarianist In Hell" showcasing it with interesting lines such as "The words of wiser men will sound/our crimes are numerous and loud" referring to the many 'sins' we've all committed through time. It's definitely religiously-based, but the way the lyricism is orchestrated is certainly different from other artists who do the same such as Owl City and Britt Nicole. For that reason that is why I wouldn't necessarily refer to him to the genre of Christian pop, it just ventures into territory that isn't typical of the genre at all despite the religiously-titled tracks and such.
Jhameel's vocals throughout the album in all honesty are pretty solid, however its also very raw and unpolished. In most of the tracks, with a ton merely laced in acoustic guitar with a few exceptions that see Jhameel go a different route, he sings pretty softly and it does fit in with the track perfectly. It does feel a bit limiting in that sense though, because you do wanna see an artist come full-circle to his full potential both musically and vocally. Its just that I wanna hear more from him vocally in terms of his range and strengthening it. The only track where you see him really push himself to that limit is in "Utilitarianist In Hell", with screams that are as raw as it gets yet you can envision how he feels at that moment. That along with the vocals are definitely un-refined and un-polished, but for some reason I also can see how they fit. It isn't the best vocals I've heard, no doubt but you can feel the sense of emotional depth and passion that Jhameel can bring when he does sing. Again he'll get better in time, and that's why despite the lingering questions I really don't find it to be much of a significant issue as usually it would be.
As I wrapped up listening to Jhameel's self-titled LP, it definitely left a lot on the table for what's to come. The production was nothing short of stellar, with beats that leave you enchanted and intrigued with the unique direction that he takes with his music. The vocals were definitely raw and a bit limiting if you will, but it also in a weird sense also seemed to blend in with the music just fine. You can literally feel the passion and emotions that he brings from his vocals, and that is what makes it bearable and not much of an issue as it usually would for most artists. The creative and interesting lyricism is also another positive, leaving out questions on the table for us to answer with its mainly-spiritual subject matter. It is definitely a different take into pop, which gives it that refreshing and creative aspect that you normally don't see with the bombardment of generic, high-production synth or saxophone solo-filled pop songs that hover over Top 40/Pop radio today. This was a otherwise solid first attempt of music done by the young Korean, and it does nothing but give hope for what to expect in his future material as well as his current stint in American Idol. He may be the very artist that Idol needs in the competition, someone who goes against the norm of what the rest have done in the past, and that's a very good thing.
