Review: "The Edge" - MJ Duke

Have you ever noticed how mainstream artists’ vocal delivery is identical to the beat within their song? Hypothetically, if one isolated both the vocals and the beat from a song and randomly assigned either to a stranger to listen to - that stranger could accurately identify the song. Don’t get me wrong, this song formulation can certainly be appealing. However, it’s overused. But MJ Duke’s “The Edge” breaks free from this recurring formula, and that’s precisely why it’s such a refreshing song.

“The Edge” is an R&B Pop track that describes the excitement we feel when we’re patiently waiting to see what life has in store for us next. Duke‘s vocal delivery and lyricism are the focal points of the song - the rhythm and beat merely serve as accompaniments to showcase the two. For example, the chorus has a unique rhyming scheme with incredible flow: “I’ve been sitting on the edge for so long / Nothing could dare to go wrong / I could fall but it doesn’t matter / I’ve been living in my head for too long / Like I was meant to do wrong / The view is pretty but that’s all but chatter”. It’s also significant to point out that Duke’s vocal delivery is just a little behind the rhythm and beat, too, which further highlights it and sets the song apart from others.

The London-born singer, MJ Duke, graciously returns to churning out music for listeners after a brief rest. The early influences of Blues and Soul make an appearance in the artist’s discography; utilizing a storytelling-like vocal delivery to highlight the expressive rhythm in each song. We eagerly look forward to hearing more soul-induced R&B Pop from the artist. And maybe listeners can convince Duke to drop some live performances for us in the future, too. But for now, we’ll just have to keep on sending virtual love his way in the form of streams until that happens.

Written By Giavanna Gradaille

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