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KAINA Reflects the Golden Age of R&BBy Ryan Brunt We’re in a golden age of alternative R&B. There are seemingly countless new artists from around the country pushing the boundaries of the genre and producing some great music in the process. One of the most exciting artists in this new crop of talent is Chicago’s KAINA, who’s just released her debut full-length album, Next to the Sun. Following up a string of promising EPs, Next to the Sun offers a warm and genre-bending vision of R&B, but also delivers some strong political messaging. The project opens on a high note with “House.” The song is a lush meld of gentle keyboards and heavily reverbed guitars, providing the perfect backdrop for KAINA’s smooth vocals. But it isn’t fluff by any means, and that’s what sets this album apart; the first track puts the album’s mission front and center- “Look how these brown hands cook all your meals/But mama says you want this all to disappear/you like to keep this place so empty” This is R&B with an objective, and KAINA’s Venezuelan-Guatemalan identity is at its center.
That identity comes through especially clear on the album’s title track. Mixing sparse acoustic guitars and muffled drums, KAINA traces out an almost tense melody that beautifully contrasts the song’s dreamy arrangement. The Latin influences on this song can be clearly felt, and they are just one example of the way the album works to stretch the definitions of R&B. After all, one common thread in a great deal of Chicago’s alt R&B scene is the way artists work to incorporate elements of electronic and house music into their songs, and KAINA is no exception. Tracks like “Waiting on the Day” effortlessly combine glitchy, chopped up drum patterns and sparkling electronics with more traditional neo-soul instrumentation; it’s an effect that has been pursued by several of her contemporaries, but she executes it perfectly. The transition from EPs to full length albums is not an easy one. After all, its much easier to make 10 minutes of great music than it is to make 30 or 40. But with Next to the Sun, KAINA sticks the landing admirably. It manages to be both gentle and angry, both rooted in neo-soul traditionalism and eager to explore new sounds. This album isn’t to be missed.
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November 2023
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