Shekhinah's Rose Gold: A timeless production with edge

Johannesburg - We’ve been waiting for Rose Gold all year and it doesn’t fail to deliver. The vocalist from Durban with the smoky voice gives her listener something fresh to latch on to. Pop inevitably takes on the face of the dominant genre of the time.

Laid-back, wavy beats are paired perfectly with Shekhinah’s youthful, but insightful lyricism. She draws on sexuality minimally, with subtle suggestions and not full-on raunchiness, but still naughty in parts – the new-age ballad Thirsty comes to mind. Be careful who you play that around.

On Different, Shekhinah sings, “different in my own way, rose gold baby, in my own shade”. If that isn’t bars then I’m not sure what is. This track boasts a strong feature by Mariechan from pop music group Jamali.

Rose Gold is an attempt at making pop music that says something and this may very well become a timeless album, littered with radio-friendly content that is still edgy. One song I will certainly bump for the rest of my days is On It, an absolute heater. My life was altered when this beat, moulded by the renowned Tweezy, first caressed my ears. This song features DJ Sliqe and is unlike what I am accustomed to hearing from South Africa. It’s straight heat.

The title track is reminiscent of the 90s soul movement in the US. Mellow instrumentals and soothing vocals that provide an unexplained urge to cuddle. She gives us more of that old feeling with the successful hit Suited, which has surpassed a million views on YouTube. This song sounds a lot like what first love feels like.

This might be the most pivotal tape of this year and with it comes the prospect of a queen of pop, flying the flag internationally. Somebody call Lira and the rest, tell them they have problems.