On his latest single “Vibrant”, the MC and singer-songwriter from Santa Cruz, CA, Amplified., takes a step back from his mind-boggling, rapid-fire deliveries, to carve out smooth and warm mellifluous vibe. No matter how amazing your life might be, every one of us has a day from time to time when they need to take stock of their lives. A day where everything just seems to be a little worse, and you can’t seem to shake it.
There are many ways to concocting methods which will beam up out of some debilitating moments when you have the world against you, but no method is more effective than music, specifically positive music—a track that has the power to not only remind you of where you should be in this life, but also make you nod your head and sing along.
Once such track is “Vibrant” by Amplified. “All this starts with vibrant colors of reality. Humming singing melodies, swirling into energy,” sings Amplified. “Take a little time for ya self so you can love you. Take a little time for ya self so I can love you. Put no one else above you,” he continues, before unfolding his story: “I was drowning in a pool ambition. Now I got my battle scars, look at me you can’t miss em. I was running like a fool on a mission. Reaching for the stars, tryna live up to the vision. I’ve been leaning on myself a little too long.”
The production on this project is top notch. The shimmering keys and steady drumbeat drive the rhythm into an infectious groove, which is absolutely luscious, matching Amplified.’s vocals all the way through.
This a wonderful track, one that manages to pay deference to the past while still sounding somehow both of-the-moment and the future. It delivers a blend of RnB, hip-hop and Neo-soul unlike anything else currently available in pop culture.
“Vibrant” is emotionally and cerebrally engaging, both in lyrical and music content. Listening to the song paints a picture of a dynamic, complex individual of full agency but still connected, and finding a solution to better his personal status: “I’ve been leaning on myself a little too long. Think I need a little help. I’m coming too strong. Think I need to get up take a break, and right a few wrongs. Or write a few songs,” he raps.
It sounds like Amplified. is ready to wrap his arms around the whole of the human condition while still remaining truly focused on his own; appealing to everyone without trying to appeal to anyone but himself, as he investigates what makes us tick: “We all party like we’ll never die, talking like we never cry. Go out make some money, then we spend it on some shit we find.” He rides his fluid genre-bending lines like no artist is doing right now.
The thing that makes Amplified. exciting, the thing that will propel him to higher levels, is how every part of the song feels organic, real and whole. Amplified. has always had his technical and lyrical abilities down to a science. Now it’s clear he’s working on what his music feels like. And on “Vibrant” it feels like a sultry intoxicating groove.
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