Devinn Le’Raay

If funky physicality turns you on, the stylings of one Devinn Le’Raay are almost certain to complete your September playlist courtesy of two tracks in “Still Luv Me?” and “Gas U Up” almost certain to stoke a reaction in even the most casual of listening sessions.

In “Still Luv Me?,” Le’Raay makes it obvious just how little time he has for synthesized harmonies with one of the most organic vocals I’ve heard in the R&B underground this season, while “Gas U Up” is sporting a music video that instantly clues us in to the ambitions this artist has as an entertainer. These are two singles you need to hear, and I would recommend checking them out a lot sooner than later this month. 

The videos for both of these tracks feel visually decadent, and yet they follow incredibly simple concepts that essentially leave a lot of the bigger frills out of the equation entirely. The imagery matches the energy of the source material wonderfully, but never is there an instance in which we’re trying to divide our focus between the soundtrack and whatever frame is occupying the screen in the moment. This player isn’t trying to play movie star here - he’s celebrating the foundations of smart R&B songcraft, which is more respectable than any amount of video pomp ever could be.

R&B fans of all ages and backgrounds simply aren’t likely to find anyone quite like Devinn Le’Raay coming out of the American underground this late summer season, and not because of his confident demeanor in the studio alone. He cares about both sonic depth and creating some substance behind his lyricism, and in this industry - no matter the genre of music in question - those are two attributes that are becoming increasingly difficult to find in one artist. 

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Trace Whittaker

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

9/2020