Steve Lacy - Oh yeah? review
On Oh Yeah?, Steve Lacy’s flashes of brilliance struggle to hold together an album of half-formed ideas.
It’s been four years since cult favourite turned pop superstar Steve Lacy released his career defining Gemini rights. Disregarding two projects before arriving at his new album Oh yeah?, Lacy returns with a selection of undercooked ideas and ridiculous lyrics, but not without some damn good moments hiding amongst the melee.
Gemini rights came with a certain coherence to it, making not only emotional sense but sonic sense too. Every track on the album felt like a choice that had been heavily thought through, with Lacy’s production and songwriting reaching a new level. He was constantly switching up his style and playing with pace while simultaneously keeping each song connected to a central feeling. It felt like a story and sound that Lacy had worked hard to create. Listening to Oh yeah? however we sense a lack of all of these things; failing to conjure any real purpose or coherence, we’re left wondering how much thought really went into the album. That being said, there are a couple of exceptions to the rule, with is it cool? Feat SZA and show you me being a true display of Lacy’s genius.
Naturally gliding over the punctual, metronomic beat of Is it cool?, SZA’s warming and reassuring vocals contrast Lacy’s matter-of-fact delivery. Bringing a sense of realness and integrity back into Lacy’s music, it’s a soothing and nostalgic listen. show you me reveals a more truthful, exposed side of Lacy, sharing an honest perspective of his experiences of love and relationships ‘are you even gay?’ His use of acoustic guitar acts as a sonic foundation for his sincere words to sit upon; while the continuous, clinical beeping throughout is an impressive decision. Pulling you in all the right directions, the song is memorable but not too catchy.
The psychedelic energy, dreamy vocals, and drawn out bass line of pure colour are a welcome change in approach, with Erykah Badu adding that extra bit of flair to Lacy’s sound. At first it feels like something monumental is around the corner; however, the track fails to reach any sort of climax and the trip ends up being too short. You can’t help but think that this collaboration could have led to something more, though it’s definitely a welcome break from hearing about Lacy’s complications and contradictions in love.
Built on an overly bouncy instrumental that fails to take us anywhere, it’s unclear whether the feeling’s level of cheese is tongue in cheek or not. Its slow and unchanging pace marks the beginning of the album’s demise, with Oh yeah?’s remaining tracks lacking any real sonic invention.
Lacy’s vulgar, verging on absolutely ridiculous lyricism throughout makes the entire album pretty hard to absorb; ‘My dick is getting hard again at the thought of you and me holding hands’ - nice shoes / in your world. Lacy is known for his unhinged lyrics but this feels like a new low. We get the sense that he is striving for a more mainstream appeal but can’t quite take himself seriously enough to pull it off.
Nevertheless, doom does get off to a promising start. Forceful guitar merges with a sharp, repetitive snare, allowing Lacy’s voice to fluidly skip over the track’s likeable rhythm. Besides, it does have its witty moments; ‘Karma’s a bitch and I bet she’s pretty.’ Yet, just as the song gets going it all comes crashing down. Opting to endlessly repeat the lyrics ‘Blah blah blah blah shut the fuck up…’ at a painfully slow pace, it’s an unimaginative and lazy decision. Struggling to leave any lasting imprint, doom winds up being an unimpressive and tedious listen.
By this point, intent and feeling don’t seem to concern Lacy anymore, with his sole desire being to wrap up the album as quickly as possible. lovesexdrugbomb is a straight skip after 5 seconds, with its jarring, nursery rhyme inspired guitar riff being a strong deterrent. Meanwhile, Cecile Believe’s feature is rather fruitless, relying on repetitive songwriting to fill a sonic void. It’s a shame knowing that Gemini rights was so carefully cultivated and it’s even more frustrating to see Lacy not fulfilling his potential.
Re-worked from its single version, nice shoes / in your world does bring a renewed vitality. Punchy and unrelenting without feeling aggressive, its rhythm is inventive; embellished with interesting accents and different sound effects. Transitioning into part 2, Lacy makes an exciting shift in both velocity and sentiment. Unhurried piano, bass, and synth merge, making for a fluid mix. Though, Lacy’s unrepentant dialogue towards the end eventually sours the mood.
Leaving things on a more tender note, bebe brings Oh yeah? to its sweet expiration. There is no question that Lacy has still got it, he’s just got to find it again.