dreamily creative but overwrought
Given the success of his parents (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith), it’s perhaps not surprising that Jaden Smith radiates ambition. There’s the philanthropy and entrepreneurship, along with the acting – and the 21-year-old’s desire to be different is evident in his music too.
Like Syre, his 2017 debut, Erys (see what he did there?) is a concept record, this time with Erys the lead character in a purgatorial LA. It’s full of epic, sprawling variety and, often, pretension, flitting between hard trap, bluesy post-rock and Auto-Tuned, vaguely conscious rap with psych-tinged beats and tubular bells. At best, it’s dreamily creative; at worst, overwrought.
Impressive guest spots from the likes of Tyler, the Creator and A$AP Rocky, as well as beautiful intermittent vocals from Jaden’s sister Willow, all shine through, highlighting that for all the admirable ideas, we don’t really get a sense of who Jaden is, or even who “Erys” is meant to be.
3:00 AM · Jul 14, 2019