MIH-TY : Jeremih & Ty Dolla Sign (Mih-Ty) : Album Review
A shorter version of this review appears in CLASH Magazine
Since Ty Dolla $ign first broke onto the scene in 2012 with the first of his now synonymous “Beach House” trilogy, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter and producer has become renowned for his penchant for ingenious songwriting, with his gravelly vocals, and musical touch in general, in and amongst some of your favourite tracks from your favourite artists in one form or another, often elevating them to another level in the subtlest of ways. Meanwhile, Chicago native Jeremih has clocked up almost a decade in the game from the moment he dropped his debut single “Birthday Sex” – a top-five, 3x Platinum hit – which is no easy feat, and is still one of the go-to stars within post-2000 R&B, having worked with some of the biggest acts in the industry, his angelic vocals instantly recognisable on a track, making both artists modern day elites of the genre in their own right.
“Stingy with your ass like Kobe with the pass/ You could be my one and only but I can’t”
It’s no surprise then to see the two heavyweights bond over their shared love of classic R&B and use it for inspiration when making this album. Executive produced by LA-via-Chicago producer Hitmaka (Yung Berg), the production is almost like the best of both worlds, creating avenues and opportunities for the two singers to display both their distinct styles. In a time where R&B is largely ruled by the moody, dark and more recently trap and hip-hop influenced worlds of the likes of Bryson Tiller, 6LACK, Tory Lanez and PND with some exceptions e.g Khalid, Jacquees etc, it is refreshing to see two veterans of the modern era embrace these new styles but also incorporate what’s come before, not only production wise, but also in their approach in delivery. This isn’t the first time the two have worked together, featuring on each others “Late Nights: The Album” (2015) and “Beach House 3″ (2017) respectively, however this is the first full body of work presented by the pair, building on their obvious musical chemistry, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Over eleven tracks, “MIH-TY” is a 2018 R&B masterclass, providing bedroom mood music that is colourful and vibrant enough to not need to be refrained strictly for intimate settings. It’s lead – and most crossover leaning – single “The Light” uses the bassline from Mary Jane Girls’ “All Night Long”, while “FYT” featuring French Montana is a flip of Biggie‘s “F*ck You Tonight”. Even the introduction to “New Level” features Sisqo singing the chorus to Dru Hill‘s “In My Bed” before the vocals are screwed down, sped up and masterfully turned into a thumping duet which is arguably an album highlight. But therein lies the main problem at the heart of what is a great body of work: it all feels safely within their comfort zones. Instead of seizing the chance to truly make a mark, they instead decided to remix and modernise older, established hits rather than push the boundaries of their own artistry and create classics of their own, which would have been well within their pool of talent to do.
“So let me Boogie in my hoodie, I be drownin’/ Skinny dip deep in your sea, coming up ’til I can’t breath”
That doesn’t make the project bad by any means but it does slightly curve the innovative-ness of the pairs good work which is executed to perfection. As a collection of songs, it wonderfully serves its purpose as a provocative yet breezy, sultry yet fun, body of work that, while covering familiar subject matter (sex, women, alcohol and all things pertaining to the opposite sex) showcases the quality of their penmanship with a range of sing-a-long hooks and vibe-filled verses with enough variation to demand multiple presses of the replay button. Features are wisely kept to a minimum with Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, French Montana and Wiz Khalifa lending their talents, however the latter two were arguably the wrong person for the verse and perhaps unnecessary altogether with their respective verses, but do not detract anything from the album. While there is no denying that putting Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih together is a winning formula in any capacity, having gifted fans with eleven out of over sixty songs filled with riffs, runs, harmonies and melodies, maybe on the sequel we’ll see them push themselves and the boundaries of R&B and truly take things to a “new level”.