“Hold On, We’re Going Home” was a track that Drake gave us back in 2013 and the catchy lyrics that lasted the entire car ride were formed with the help of Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman otherwise known as the duo Majid Jordan. All these years later, the two strike out on their own for the first time with the aptly titled album “Majid Jordan” and the results show enough potential to warrant why these two can make it as a group.
You might be aware of OVO Sound. It’s Drake’s Record Label with artists like Roy Woods, PARTYNEXTDOOR, iLoveMakonnen, and the subject of this review, the dynamic duo Majid Jordan. There’s been whispers of a OVO Sound Curse on the artists under Drake’s wing where they are blessed with a feature that guarantees them spotlight for however long, and they fail to recapture the same type of spark and notoriety when it’s time to step up with full length projects. The trend or curse depending on how you look at it continues here but the duo show glimpses of sprouting their wings and owning the lane they are racing in.
Majid Jordan is the pair’s first outing after their EP “A Place Like This” two years ago and the twelve track album finds its pop infused roots showing but, falls short. From the get go, the first track “Learn From Each Other” both sets the mood of the remaining eleven tracks and wants you to get on your feet. It brings about the atmosphere of you and that special someone dancing the night away and given how the pair simply thrive in the positive pop category, listeners looking for an album to nod your to long rides in the car will be playing the album for a long time coming.
The feature spotlight is solely on Drake with “My Love” which, if you’re like me don’t need to hear that song ever again because it’s been drilled into your head by this point. Shortly after that the album goes into full out Disco Dancing Love Story mode with songs like “Shake Shake Shake” that has the tempo, beat, and speed of a song that would fit in any old school dancing movie montage. The pair effortlessly handle lyrics talking about trying to get the girl (with nothing to lose!) with not so much as one negative metaphor or meaning behind it. It’s all positivity in the calmest and coolest way possible, they have a swagger about them that ties the Pop-infused romance together.
Only a handful of production tags are spotted on the project spread between Majid Jordan themselves, Noah Shebib better known as 40, Illangelo, and Nineteen85. Having a small team besides yourselves on a debut is smart for cohesive reasons and keeps the 51 minute album running smoothly with songs branching off just enough to stand on their own while not being radically different from the last. “Something About You” could have had a Weeknd feature and it would have lined up with what the duo is trying to accomplish.
Don’t be fooled by the duo that is Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman, we see peaks into their world of 1980’s sound effects, losing and shooting for relationships once thought lost and departed, and R&B that would be commonplace at a concert proclaiming it’s love to House Music for the new age. On “Day and Night” and “King City” they rise to the occasion especially on painting moody pictures of love and you can feel the energy showcasing that this is where the duo will dominate.
The debut album has some momentary lapses in the grand scheme like “Warm” and the bouncing techno beats of “Pacifico” but alas, the debut album from the OVO artists show moments of greatness and signs that chivalry on a track isn’t a long lost relic and finding your niche takes time. Fortunately for these two, they found it and some lessons to build on quicker than others.
Grade: B+