The first solo effort from The Internet’s Steve Lacy is an R&B powerhouse of a record which shows signs of greatness, despite some less than noteworthy tracks. Straight out of the 1970s, tracks like “Looks” and “Some” treat listeners to some of the more faithful and technically impressive funk and R&B revival tracks of the year.
“Looks” deserves praise for steering itself away from what could have very easily been a lazily-written funk track. On this demo, Steve Lacy raids the ‘70s closet, and for the most part is economic in his choices, picking one or two flashy hooks to re-incorporate into a more modern delivery.
This record also includes one of the best R&B tracks in recent memory.
“Dark Red” builds on an impossibly simple drum beat to weave together a track that’s equal parts melancholy and hopeful. And despite it being left-field through and through, I won’t be surprised if I hear “Dark Red” being used to sell cars and phones and rom-coms in the coming years.
That’s all just a fancy way of saying that on his debut, Steve Lacy wraps an undeniable gem up in a blanket of more solid tracks. If this demo is any indication, Lacy won’t have to wait long (to paraphrase Curtis Mayfield) to move on up.
