Two years after her debut album HYPNOS, Ravyn Lenae returns with Bird's Eye. Another smorgasbord of the fluttery falsettos, iridescent vocal stacks and tender lyrics that've made Lenae a modern R&B torchbearer (and a regular on most of my playlists), Bird's Eye finds Lenae courting disruption both in life and music. Piecing together the lessons learned from strained relationships, Lenae expands her dusky R&B and soul into rock, folk and even reggae. Bird's Eye is tinged with her signature futuristic nostalgia, but her sonic and personal growth is clear, creating a vibrant kaleidoscope of sound and feeling.
Bird's Eye opens with the bouncy soft rock of "Genius," setting the basic premise of the album: relationships are hard and sometimes ill-fated, but we're wired to try again and again. Lenae's collaborations are notoriously seamless, and Childish Gambino's feature on soulful third track "One Wish" is no exception. Dedicated to Lenae's complex relationship with her father, the lyrics — "If promises are gonna break / Why promise in the first place?" — are a gut punch if there ever was one. "Dream Girl" is more trusting, chronicling the beginning stages of infatuation complete with sweeping declarations and wanton desire. This song is well assisted by a Ty Dolla $ign feature, adding a modern spin to its throwback glitter.
Good things come in pairs, and that's true of "Love Is Blind" and "Love Me Not," which Lenae released as the first singles of this new era. They're smack in the middle of the project, offering a fantastic one-two punch that showcases Lenae's mastery of her sonic range. The gorgeous bridge on the burbling and regretful "Love Is Blind" makes the song an instant gem, while the sheer attitude and retro pop of "Love Me Not" harkens back to Lenae's earlier work circa "Sticky," and depicts the back and forth of an unstable relationship.
On the last half of Bird's Eye, Lenae reaches a hard-won self acceptance, reaping the rewards of tough lessons and tough love. With renewed hope, she finds the openness to live on "1 of 1": "We've been hurt so much, don't you act so tough / If you're here to stay, baby drive my way." The penultimate track, "Pilot," is a soundtrack for the lost 24-year-olds out there trying to figure life out — and, as a fellow lost 24-year-old, it's quite the balm.
Lenae's debut felt overwhelmingly certain and sweet. The strong, sexy, silent type, HYPNOS saw Lenae standing on business in her relationships and grabbing hold of her destiny. In comparison, Bird's Eye is more tumultuous and finds Lenae dealing with and sometimes reeling from self doubt and personal rejection. On Bird's Eye, we're offered refreshingly honest revelations about Lenae's inner world, an exacting account of life experiences that we didn't get before. At the end of Bird's Eye, Lenae has found her way back to herself. On final track "Days," she wastes no time on regret, remaining steadfast in her quest for self actualization: "Waking up my eyes are open / The door to the past is closing."