Album Review: Dawn Richard - Goldenheart

Dawn Richard
Goldenheart
Rating: Grrrr

After learning that Dawn Richard, former member of Diddy-Dirty Money and Danity Kane, was launching a solo career, I was prepared for more in the same vein of former girl band singers striking out on their own; bland, soulless pop/R&B dreck that would disappear from view as quickly as possible. Despite her rather generic debut album, she soldiered on with a mixtape and a fascinating EP, Armor On, which showed she was more than some generic R&B diva, incorporating elements of EDM, dubstep, and house music into her mix. Her second album Goldenheart is a culmination of all this restless experimentation and is a frequently dazzling 16 song opus on love, viewed from the point of view of battle. Love in her world is not to be taken lightly, something to be strongly and fiercely protected and won; even the quiet moments are hard fought. Throughout this album, the songs run the gamut from traditional pop and R&B through forays into more experimental electronic territory. While not as distinctive as her EP, Goldenheart is a more focused effort that sticks to a more cohesive approach, which may at times seem safe, but ultimately serves her purpose.

From the opening track "Into the Hearts Tonight (Intro)" she repeats "Get ready for war" as a mantra, her voice blazing a trail for the journey ahead. "Return of a Queen" focuses on that wondrous instrument as even the rising tide of electronics cannot overtake her.



Goldenheart moves swiftly from future R&B ("Goliath") and David Guetta/Swedish House Mafia-esque house music ("Riot") before settling in for the amazing mid-section of the record which is the heart and soul of the album. "Gleaux" mixes glittering keyboards, handclaps, and intricate percussion while Richard's voice swoops and swoons around in multi-tracked heaven.



"Pretty Wicked Things" borrows its hook from dubstep, which beautifully matches the hard edged track's view of deception in love.



"Northern Lights" is a bass heavy wonderland of insistent handclaps and Richard's strong as nails voice.



While Richard shows off her soft side with the delicate electronic ballad "Frequency," her voice a soft, enveloping coo.



My one complaint with the record is that it tends to stick to a very muted palate that over the course of the record seems to weigh it down. A little more varoety of tempos might have made the album move at a faster clip. After the brilliant mid-section Goldenheart gets a little bogged down with too many mid-tempo ballads, but when they shine they shine brightly. "'86" is the perfect marriage of dense electronics and Richard's soulful voice,



"Break of Dawn" is a gorgeous, traditional pop/R&B ballad that, if there is a God, should rocket to the top of the charts,



and final and title track "Goldenheart (Outro)" is the odd marriage of Richard's voice and lyrics to Debussy, that is so bat shit crazy it works despite itself, and is one of the most raw and open songs on the record.

While Goldenheart is not the brilliant masterpiece I was expecting after her EP and other singles, it is still a record that cannot be ignored. It is both pop as well as future/forward thinking, adapting to trends but utilizing them for her own ends and not just to throw in for no reason. Along with Solange and Jesse Ware, Richard is reconfiguring what it means to be an independent singer in the modern age. No longer are these lovely voices a slave to record labels and their whims. They are free to be as adventurous as they like, and seeing their success, it is the right way to approach things.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.