R&B singer Brent Faiyaz released “Larger Than Life” unexpectedly on Oct. 27. There were no direct hints to any type of new album, so it was surprising for most of his fans. This is Faiyaz’s fourth studio album and the shortest by far.
Faiyaz has been a rising star of the R&B community since his fourth EP, “F*ck the world,” released in 2020. He is a laid-back artist who writes with flow and authenticity. Faiyaz creates music that captures a feeling by reflecting the present instead of dwelling on past situations. His music creates a story about his life, whether it is about where he grew up or an illustration of toxic relationships to create a dramatic story.
Faiyaz’s image revolves around being a heartbreaker or playboy that messes with people’s hearts, and he develops this character throughout his music.Throughout his albums, he often writes music related to different time periods of his life that reflect on the character. “Sonder Son,” his debut album, mainly refers to who he is and where he grew up, and “F*ck the World,” his sophomore album, relates to his perspective of the world and how he feels as an artist
“Larger Than Life” consists of 14 songs and is roughly 36 minutes. The album has a mixture of new and well-known artists. The artists featured are A$AP Rocky, A$AP ANT, Coco Jones, Missy Elliot, Lil Gray, Tommy Richman, FLEE, Princess Cro, N3WYRKLA, FELIX!, CruddyMurda, TTM Dawg, and Babyface Ray. Many of these features added catchy melodies and lyrics, specifically in the songs “Outside All night feat. A$AP Rocky & N3WYRKLA,” “Moment of Your Life feat. Coco Jones,” and “Upset feat. Tommy Richman & FELIX!”
The album begins with “Tim’s Intro,” which has mixes of voiceovers, sirens and violins in the background that give the song a chaotic start. It transitions to Faiyaz singing lyrics that surround the title of the album “Welcome, uh, ladies and gentlemen, to something that’s larger than life.” “Last One Left” featuring Missy Elliot and Lil Gray gives a life lesson to be watchful of the people you love. “Belong To You feat. Babyface Ray” shows a different side to the character Faiyaz created throughout his albums: a lovelier side instead of the rough or disloyal aspect his music has.
Faiyaz uses new sounds that are not used in his former albums, as it has a slower and mellower sound. He uses a variety of beats and synths to create relaxing yet energetic songs. Faiyaz’s vocals have improved significantly, even though his performance has already been outstanding.
He experiments with a mixture of upbeat songs, like “Forever Yourz” and “On this Side” featuring A$AP Ant and CruddyMurda. The new sounds throughout the song were refreshing, similar to some of his earlier music like “First World Problems/Nobody Carez” in his album “Sonder Son.”
The R&B singer’s voice ranges through many different pitches throughout the album. He is known for having a voice that has a primarily gentle tenor but can also falsetto at a very impressive pitch as well. Faiyaz’s vocals have improved significantly, even though his performance has already been outstanding.
Faiyaz does not hesitate to leave out any details and always keeps every aspect of a story in his lyrics, especially the majority of the parts that portray him as a player. He does this to make his albums more than just music and to tell a deep story with meaning behind it and lessons to learn from. Just like in the song “Let me Know,” he reflects on his journey of self-love and masculinity as a person of color.
Faiyaz continues to progress throughout his music career, creating profound and relaxing sounds with both his voice and the production of his music. “Larger Than Life” continues to gain even more attention, currently at 54.1 million streams. With a variety of sounds and beats, it is truly a great collection of music to listen to.
