Deconstructed Funk
Romare has crafted a subtle record with Love Songs: Part Two. The further you get into the track list the more you realize what he is trying to do with each song. This is a funky album, but it also uses elements of funk to create grooves you wouldn’t expect. At it’s core Romare’s music on this album uses stripped down funk samples in conjunction with synths and beats to create groovy house tracks. However, some of the tracks on this album really go in an unexpected direction as Romare starts to use his repertoire of sounds to go against the tropes of house or funk music.
One of the best songs on the record is “Who Loves You?” The guitar sample that Romare uses throughout the track is very groovy and the way that he manages to progress the song, not by building up to a beat drop, but by subtly changing the melody and gradually adding new elements into the song. On the track “Honey” he uses layers of hypnotizing flute samples mixed with synths to create a really great and surprising track. It is very different from the songs that come before it and serves as a necessary show of Romare’s versatility. “Come Close to Me” is probably the track with the least funk influence in it with only a small voice sample, but that’s not a bad thing because it shows that Romare can also create a good song with a club beat. One of the triumphs of this record is that many of the songs on the album could be equally good as relaxing music in the background, or the thing getting people to dance at the club.
Sometimes on this record Romare’s efforts don’t go so well. Once in a while his ideas or his execution just don’t pan out fully and it can lead frustration in some of the longer tracks. This is especially apparent on the song “L.U.V” which has a loud and annoying synth which blares the whole song, yet never really ties anything together. It’s the only song that isn’t plain enjoyable, though.
This album shows that Romare has a knack for using samples in a unique way. He’s used funk to his own ends and it has paid off for him. Sometimes the record takes some getting used to, but if you take the time to dig into the songs and let Romare show you what he’s trying to do, you just might like it.
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