EP - Late Night VibrationsArtists - Ycee, Bella AluboRecord Label - Tinny Entertainment (2018)Duration - 22 minutes
Bella Alubo is complex in the manner that she has chosen to alter her sound, almost abandoning the bars and wordplay of rap, for the softer, melodic application in singing. Her single ‘Gimme love’ had prepared fans and enthusiasts for what is to come. But at the very least, none expected what is contained here.
She isn’t just a partner on this 6-track EP titled ‘Late Night Vibrations’, she’s an anchor and a muse to balance out Ycee, her more famous labelmate who’s already proven himself as a man with many abilities. In the years that he’s risen to prominence, Ycee has kept the game guessing his next move, initially announcing himself with rap, but scoring his biggest and most impactful records outside the confines of the culture.
Together, these two partners in style and craft move into the night as musical lovers, expressing the vibrations of their hearts with this EP. Each is evenly matched as they journey through the moonlight on these records.
The opening cut, ‘Wetin’ is Bella throwing her passion the way of Ycee, singing “I will never leave you, I will never let you go…” It’s a call to action for Ycee, who’s a conflicted and complex lover, stuck in a situation that can be frustrating. They move past this push-and-pull straight to Ycee’s lamentations on the Trap arrangement of ‘Empathy’. Turns out they both have fallen out as lovers, and that conflict resolution is bringing out confessions.
On ‘Tropicana Fruit Juice’, they begin to find each other again, taking the step back into their romance on what is the jewel of the project. “I’m just trying to have a good time, we could go dancing round the fire…my blood is Hennessy…” Bella is very descriptive and poetic. The track is executed perfectly, with the sound of rushing waves offering comforting ambience. And cashing in on all that passion, they have lengthy sex on ‘All night’.
“Late Night Vibrations” isn’t a major release, neither does the record label, Tinny Entertainment, pretend to market it as one. (It’s all on Soundcloud for gossakes!) But it sure does reveal to fans that versatility isn’t lacking in the label, and offers everyone with a rare glimpse of Ycee’s other side, which rarely ever does make it to radio.
For Bella, her journey to becoming the singing talent, that she never was prior to getting a label deal, is still on. And while she does admirably on this project, the real test is getting that pop single to officially announce her as a serious contender.