Long Island native Jordan Bratton is kickstarting his summer with a new extended play titled Youth. The title ‘Youth’ seems to be just perfectly chosen as Bratton is only 20 years young and provides us with some fresh and energetic tracks on this record. In 2013, he released his first project called The Grey Area, and since then his life has been going upwards constantly – he got signed to the record label RCA and even went on tour with the Pennsylvanian R&B/Soul singer Jazmine Sullivan.
His new EP Youth includes six tracks with features from his older and more experienced colleagues Chance The Rapper and Fabolous. The songs definitely fit in the R&B genre – however, they also have a little Pop-sounding twist which makes them sound even more vibrant. All of the tracks have been entirely produced by Craven J, and co-produced by Bratton himself.
“Prisoner“, which is also the first track on his project, features the bespoke artist Chance The Rapper. The collaborators both remind the listeners to not focus on just the materialistic elements life has to offer, as they hum about a woman who loses herself in the world of success, money and fame as the lyrics, “She gives everything to something that don’t mean anything / But that’s all she knows / She’ll never go back the way she came, came / Now is this just a prisoner without a cage?“, can tell. While Bratton pleases the audience with melodic soft vocals, Chance’s input distributes that special something.
Right before his new EP dropped last week on May 12, the latest release from the EP, “Bound” got officially unveiled. It definitely is more pop than R&B noticeable here but that is what makes the song so catchy and sing-a-long-worthy. This time it is a track without a feature from a famous rapper and Bratton very well proves that he has what it takes to perfectly manage a song by his own. Without a doubt, it is one of those records that leaves you in a good mood and invites you to have a little dance, and with those optimistic lyrics: “I once was lost but now I’m found/ I see your light so I’m here now / I once was lost but you found me / You saved my soul, I’m heaven bound“, this is no surprise at all.
Though “Danger” is only a remix of his older same-named record from his former project The Grey Area, fellow New Yorker Fabolous and Bratton have created something quite solid out of it. The record is a rather serious one: It is supposed to warn everybody about not worrying too much about the could-have-been’s or would-have-been’s in life, and to better watch out before one gets too caught up and loses control of everything. The verses of both Bratton and rapper Fabolous give the song a very deep meaning and will catch you remembering to always stay true to yourself. According to the young artist, he uses the song to remind himself about all that. “Danger” sits as the closing track on the EP.
Besides these, the EP offers three more songs, “Victoria“, “Cold Killer” and “Answers (Interlude)”. Each one of them was composed in a different sound and deliver enjoyable summer vibes. With Youth standing as a strong sophomore release from Jordan Bratton, the rising star is on the right track to success and garner more popularity. Compared to his 2013 release, this one is a total topper and it is about time that the singer who just finished high school not too long ago, is taken seriously in this year’s new music landscape. Youth is out now on RCA Records, purchase it here on iTunes.
Words by Antonia Künzel
