RUSSELL! Steps into His Sweeter Side on "JUST LIKE CANDY"

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BY Ben OkazawaPublished Oct 24, 2023

Although he burst onto the Toronto music scene as a rapper back in the early 2010s, RUSSELL! has been polishing his vocal chops amidst his recent R&B rebrand. On his latest single "JUST LIKE CANDY," he elevates them to the pedestal they deserve with one of the more compelling vocal performances I've heard of late. 

The Mississauga-born singer beckons his listener ever closer with intimate, sultry lyricism as he reaches deftly up into his falsetto to yearn for a past lover atop a bed of silky guitar licks and a swaggering bassline. Ultimately, not even studio polish can contain RUSSELL!'s voice as, at the track's defining moment, raw passion punctures his tone in a subtle but deliberate growl that transcends perfect technique. 

"Missin' your body / It's been way too long / I need her / Baby, my dessert / So pick up the phone."


 
(Public Records)

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