On Friday, June 11th, Los Angeles-based r&b/pop group, Emotional Oranges, dropped their highly anticipated new project, The Juicebox. In their new eight-track studio album the group, formed in 2017 by band members "A," an audio engineer for Drake, and "V", a vocal coach for the critically-acclaimed singer Adele, have collaborated with artists including Becky G and Vince Staples on each of their tracks. The Juicebox draws on the complexities of the male vs. female relationship through blunt lyricism and a late '90s production style to develop an easy-listening and carefree project perfect for summer get-togethers.
What I Like:
In their third studio album, Emotional Oranges draws upon synthesizers and drums to develop songs that vary from upbeat and feel-good pop to more heartfelt chill pop/r&b songs.
To start, the album opener, "All That," blends drums and a funky guitar riff to develop an energized pop sound. Featuring Channel Tres, the song has a feel-good and fast-paced sound that builds on the energy of the band's earlier releases, including "Motion" and "Personal."
On track three on the album, Emotional Oranges in collaboration with Chiild, utilize bass cues and drums to tell the story of genuine unwavering love. Entitled "Bonafide," the song is reminiscent of 2000s R&B and draws inspiration from artists such as Sade. With lyrics like, '"No matter what comes our way/ We gon' make due/ When the river runs dry/ I won't give up on you," the song uses simple yet meaningful lyrics to describe how you should not let the hard times deter you from genuine love.
In track seven of the album, titled "No Words," Emotional Oranges and Yendry, use Spanish guitar riffs and handclaps to create a Latin influenced chill-pop beat. Blending English and Spanish verses, the song's emotionally charged lyrics portray the story of someone reminiscing on a previous relationship and accepting that the time has come to move on.
What I Didn't Like:
Personally, I really enjoyed listening to every song on this album, and I felt that each song added to the overall project. However, I did find that most of the songs swayed on the safe side and except for "All That," there lacked songs with the type of groovy and eccentric energy like their previous hits, "Personal" and "West Coast Love."
Final Thoughts:
Overall, The Juicebox is an upbeat and easy-listening album that is perfect for nighttime drives and social get-togethers as the rhythms are fun and bluesy without being overpowering. In their third studio album, Emotional Oranges continues to blend pop-inspired R&B with funky guitar riffs and blunt lyricism to make their songs unique and meaningful. Therefore, my overall score for the album is...