It’ll Be Fine by Chase Shakur
Full transparency, my friends. It's August and I am completely ready to embrace hoodie season with open arms as soon as the sun calms down. With that being said we’re also all going to need a good soundtrack. Something that you and yours can listen to on a late-night ride to the beach you know? Something you turn on right after they answer that “Come Thru” text. That's where Atlanta native Chase Shakur comes in. The singer and songwriter recently released his latest album It’ll Be Fine that’s full of emotion, sad vibes, and an abundance of lines to text your potential bae after midnight.
The intro here plays out like something just to get you settled in before the second track, “Want Me”, actually begins the journey. It's a great start. Chase’s light vocals lay perfect over a beat reminiscent of the 90s R&B song it samples. The song finds Chase trying to convince an ex-lover that he’s a changed man. Very wavy, very fire get your shorty back music here. Perfect beginning in my book. Not every artist gets it right out of the gate but Chase seems to have keyed in on what works sonically for his growing fanbase at an early stage.
As “Want Me” fades out “Pray Slow” arrives and is instantly my favorite track on the album. It's always a beautiful thing when an artist finds their lane and executes in it flawlessly. From a hook that ties itself to your membrane to the fine linen vocals resting over production that sounds like it was made around these lyrics. There’s always a song on every album that lets you know whether or not you made the right choice in adding it to your music library. Chase gives you that song early on and it's an emphatic yes.
The entire album makes you appreciate Chase Shakur’s ability to say a lot in just a few words. Everything is written by Chase whose penmanship is not to be overshadowed by his ability to display unique cashmere vocals in different patterns that don’t get repetitive or old. “Comes With The Damage” is a perfect example of this.
A highlight on an album with more than a few stand-out songs. From “Honda Civic 98” to “Hold You Down, When It Rains” this is a well-put-together project in which I couldn’t find a low point. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the album that catches a new audience.
Chase Shakur’s “It’ll Be Fine” is one of those debuts that you’re going to wish you were early on. Remember when Drake dropped Take Care and those hardcore fans were quick to point out that they had been fans since comeback season? I honestly feel like if Chase keeps putting out music this good then we will be doing the same. So whether or not you’re relationship, or trying to get your ex back, just relax, turn on Chase’s new album and remember “It’ll Be Fine”.