Bazzi - Cosmic

Bazzi
Cosmic
2018
Spotify

Andrew Bazzi is a 20 year old American singer songwriter from Michigan now based in Los Angeles. If those words in and of themselves are making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you would have good reason. Everything about that statement feels like we are going to get some kind of Youtube aggregated ridiculousness, but in the case of Bazzi we have something different on our hands. The closest comparison I can draw is Jon Bellion. He has that same R&B swag but with a keen ear for making hits. This album feels like it is chalk full of potential smash hits, it just isn't clear if Bazzi should be the one to delivery them. Different from Jon Bellion however Bazzi has a more contemporary feel to him. There are trap drums, tons of internet vernacular and joint hits throughout this album. Bazzi's ego is for real on songs like "Star" as He sings a song for his lover, but manages to slip in a few compliments for himself. The most recognizable song on this album is "Mine" with the line "You so fuckin precious when you smile" all sung with some major delay between each word. He knows it's a killer line, despite how simple it is, so He gives it plenty of room to breathe. Bazzi feels like He is firmly entrenched in the new faces of R&B like Khalid and 6lack, a crew that is rapidly taking over the airwaves. They all have this wonderful vulnerability while still managing to keep their lyrics cutting.

"Mirror" is one of those tracks where Bazzi finally let's all the guards down, and truly takes a look inside. It might be on the nose, but the song really feels like MJ's "Man in the Mirror". There are other songs however like "Fantasy" that feel super generic. It;s when Bazzi is sparse, cutting and honest that the songs really soar not when He is trying to chase trends or follow the pack. The sparse production serves him best because it allows his words to really make an impact. Don't get it twisted his words are always central on this album, which makes it some of the more compelling pop we've heard in awhile. The thing you get the most from this record is just how much potential is there in this young artist. So much is in front of him and so many different options that it is totally exciting to see where He may go. Cosmic is a great introduction but the next steps are really going to define Bazzi's career. It will be exciting to see where it goes.

7.9 out of 10