R&B artist Khalid Donnel
Robinson, known professionally as Khalid, captivated the world with his
break-out track “Location” and his debut album “American Teen.” Khalid has
returned with his follow-up extended player (E.P.) “Suncity,” another name
for El Paso, Texas.
Khalid’s new E.P. is a sweet, brief introduction to
his softer side. The 21-minute project
features an excerpt from the day the 20-year-old singer/songwriter was presented
with the keys to the city of El Paso in September 2018.
The El Paso singer has talent. Khalid can jump from
genre to genre; his voice is strong, and he even has some charm. “Suncity”
doesn’t escape that feeling.
Khalid shows love and appreciation for El Paso, where
he attended high school. He is a pop star, and he’s talented on the R&B end—
but it’s just not where he’s most comfortable.
The 7-track playlist includes a brief opening called
“9.13,” a track of Khalid receiving the keys to
the city of El Paso. Other songs such as “Vertigo”
enhance a range of Khalid’s vocals that I have never heard from him before. “Saturday
Nights” strikes as a low tempo guitar-based ballad about being young and
lost but finding your way through it all. “Salem’s Interlude” seems to follow a
story of fear and direction. “Motions” appears to express the triumph of
falling in love.
“Better” is a softer side of Khalid that embraces a
little of R&B. Honestly, it is my favorite song off the E.P. The main track
“Suncity” stands out as the mid-tempo track that brings a special Latin vibe. In
the bilingual collaboration track, Khalid sings in English and
Spanish with Latin American singer/songwriter Empress Of.
Khalid seems to feel at home having another vocalist
to bounce off of and not having to carry the future hit on his own. Having
history with the mostly Hispanic city of El Paso helped Khalid to create a
feeling of certainty.
I insist you listen to the entire
album because it is definitely enjoyable from beginning to end. This music was
genuine, and it seems as though Khalid spent a lot of time figuring out the
right songs to put on this E.P. Khalid stated that he wants his music to grow
and represent how he is growing up. I think the E.P. accomplished Khalid’s goal
through sound in a new form.
Even though Khalid has grown throughout the project,
he is mostly the same. He is still the least
controversial pop star we have right
now—which,
in this moment, we need more of. Khalid’s E.P. is definitely hinting
towards a full album in the future. I hope there will be a release in early
2019.