The Weekly Coos

It’s not often new artists emerge, where one’s curiosity from its album cover becomes something worth remembering. That curiosity led to me spinning 4 PM In The Ville, the debut album by Victorville, California, Singer-Songwriter Genia, and I have looked back since. Genia’s continuing to add to the redefinition of R&B/Soul conventions, blending more modern Hip-Hop and Pop flavors; it’s like witnessing what previous artists, like Alicia Keyes and Aaliyah, in the genre paved for this new generation of artists, like SZA and Genia. Genia doesn’t confine herself to the trappings of commercialization or standard percussion incisions beneath the vocals. Though it isn’t to say it doesn’t, as it subtly incorporates influenced melodic styles that mirror aspects of more traditional R&B for a steady balance to perform from beginning to end. Having recently signed with Def Jam Recording, Genia delivers something captivatingly listenable, even with its brisk runtime and a tight narrative running its course in a predominately smooth fashion. Unfortunately, that’s one of the negative takeaways from 4 PM In The Ville. It doesn’t allow the music to breathe suitably, cutting it short and making you wish she had more to say.

4 PM In The Ville is a poignant reflection of an artist hustling and achieving the dream through this myriad of stumbles and embracing it since it defines her character, even if it treads some familiar territory. She steers a tenacity for love as a universal concept and excels at delivering it. More so than its production, Genia keeps a tight focus on the writing, furthering an expression of storytelling depth as she recounts moments of her past. Genia’s vocals are tender, steering the emotional complexities with ease. Whether embracing this refined confidence or reflecting on past situations to express a renewed person ready to conquer the world, Genia is keen to go about whichever way. Sometimes she’s more soothing, allowing the vocals to grow wings to carry and glide you through these crisp beats that stay modern, but brings nuanced sonic dimensions to stylistic complexions of past eras, specifically in the growth of the Hip-Hop/R&B hybrid constructions throughout the years. It’s grounded without trekking into the oblique and keeping its head steady as Genia defines herself with the music.

Conceptually driven, 4 PM In The Ville has one vocal interlude and a musical one that holds it together, allowing for its hopeful journey to feel fulfilled by the end, and it doesn’t. As it continues to define itself from start to finish, you warped into a more standard concept, just more well-delivered. During its hopeful intro, we hear Genia express this connectivity to her family as a driving force for her to keep grinding to reach her goals, which in this case, is winning a Grammy, which can be considered a defining moment for an artist, where some will feel accepted by the community just by a nomination. Though Genia treads some familiar territory, thematically, she’s constantly switching it up via vocals or production from the second the intro “Lana’s Dream” ends. After each song, you’re getting more of a defining presence to understand where Genia is coming from with the content of each track, like with “Betrayed” or “Jaded,” where we hear Genia reflect on particular ideas and moments that had led her to establish certain sentiments in the music, which makes it slightly confined as we hear Genia at her most vulnerable, describing the negatives she’s overcoming to be the best artist she can be and succeed.

However, it’s the first two songs, “Introducing” and “The One,” where Genia establishes herself by making a statement and accomplishing its delivery exponentially. The former has Genia playing around with more of a Hip-Hop flow as she takes the microphone to introduce herself as an artist and person, which gets slightly doubled down on “The One,” where Genia is letting her confidence shine while relaying her sense of self with gusto. “The One” defines why Genia is focused more on the self than these external emotions caused by certain situations she has no time for, reflecting a line where Genia notes she isn’t one to fall in love, and instead, one to take everything as it goes. It’s setting the stage for something superb, and with “Betrayed,” that stage is shimmering. The production takes from varying instruments and takes unique directions, like with the elegant exposure given to the strings on “Betrayed” or the final song, “Gratitude,” which adds depth of character with its enigmatic drums taking different forms and creating parallel synergy, capping off a percussion-heavy album that is worth a listen.

Genia’s album isn’t on the upper echelon of perfection, a lot resonated with me musically. So when it comes to repeat value, that is high; unfortunately, you wish there was more to repeat, as it comes to a close a little empty. Sometimes you have to grasp length with conceptually driven albums, as it’s about getting out what the artist feels is enough to relay the message. That aside, 4 PM In The Ville is one great listen, and an even better introduction to an artist who I feel will make bigger splashes as the year progress.