Teyana Taylor’s career has always been shadowed by unrealised potential. Once touted as Pharrell’s protégé, then stuck in the sluggish machine of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music, her promise often felt stifled. After releasing her third LP ‘The Album’ in 2020, many assumed she would step away from music entirely. Instead, she built an empire behind the camera with her The Aunties Production company, directing, choreographing and shaping the visions of other artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Summer Walker.
Her fourth album, ‘Escape Room’, marks a return that’s less about reclaiming the spotlight and more about survival. In the last five years, Taylor divorced NBA basketballer and rapper Iman Shumpert and underwent vocal surgery, rebuilding her artistry from the ground up. Those scars – and the new love she’s found since with Aaron Pierre – clearly inspire this emotionally direct record.
Taylor experiments with form here: the record is filled with dramatic monologues from Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington, Regina Hall, Issa Rae and others. At first, they lend a fiery edge – Henson’s gutsy intro segues into opener ‘Fire Girl’, where Taylor snarls: “Bridges getting burnt, but you live and you learn / This time, it’s my turn / Fuck a n****, let it burn!” – but as the record progresses, the constant interludes begin to weigh down the momentum, muting that initial spark.
That doesn’t mean the songs themselves lack power. On ballroom-tinged anthem ‘Long Time’, Taylor struts her heartbreak into liberation, repeating that she “should have walked out this bitch a long time” – it’s almost mournful, but still empowering. That defiance and anger soon dissolve into bruised vulnerability. On ‘Hard Part’, Lucky Daye joins Taylor over gliding brass and bluesy piano, the pair continue to mourn their past loves with chest-tight grief. ‘Back To Life’ carries this sense of yearning as Taylor searches for someone to “love her back to life”, struggling with the space that’s left after loss.
But there’s a turning point: in the second half, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. ‘Open Invite’ glows with hazy electro-soul courtesy of Kaytranada’s production, and ‘Final Destination’ is a dreamy addition, both seeing Taylor open herself up to new intimacy with beaming sensuality and optimism. Not everything lands, though. ‘Pum Pum’ featuring Tyla and Jill Scott is a playful detour that tips into juvenility – but maybe love can make you so silly and giddy that you’d exclaim: “You make my pum pum jump!”
That blip and the diluting guest voices aside, the heart of ‘Escape Room’ is self-rediscovery. Best captured on the closer ‘Always’, Taylor’s featherlight top register shines brightest against the stripped-back guitar strums. Her devotional lyrics pluck on heartstrings as she sings about returning “right back to you, always” – a promise to her children, passions and, most importantly, herself. In the end, Taylor stands strong, heart laid bare in a tender, nuanced close to an imperfect but heartfelt album that proves that you can find your way back to yourself.
