Tanay Jackson “Love On Fleek” – Music Review

TANAY JACKSON Love On Fleek coverTo paraphrase what the cover letter that was included in her press-kit stated, when your uncle and father are, respectively, Michael and Tito Jackson, then you have some pretty big dancing shoes to fill. So, Tanay Jackson’s four song debut EP titled, “Love On Fleek” (on the Roth Entertainment label), is nothing less than, shall we say, on fleek.

The opening title track has all the dangerous intensity of the signature sound that the bloodline that she is heir to is famous for. Her velvety voice moonwalks over the backing bass, drums and synths with ninja like ease. Vocal phrasing that reminds you how a lover’s hand that may be sensuously caressing your cheek one minute may be cruelly slapping said cheek the next.

The second track, “Addicted”, is the club banger that’s guaranteed to leave some serious blood on the dance floor. Rhythmically tight and lyrically nimble this number has all the bounce of a taut trampoline under Tanay Jackson’s masterful delivery. It’s a total tip of the hat to the old Studio 54 days of sparkling, spinning mirrored disco balls and laser light cutting the dark like Jedi sabers. You go, girlfriend!

Talking about blasts from the past, Ms. Jackson dusts off the 1988 hit by Samantha Fox, “Naughty Girls Need Love”, and turns it into a real thriller. Infused with so much smoldering sexuality and emotion you’ll likely need someone to tell you that you’re not dreaming. Rarely have we heard a singer succeed at making someone else’s song so very much their own, but TJ does it her way and she does it, in my humble opinion, even better than her predecessor.

Wrapping up this EP is “In The Spotlight”. She takes the gloves off on this cut, goes bare mano-a-mano, and mixes it up with the best of them. Contrasting those phat bass sounds that are built on the steady four-four time 808 kick drum beat with those lilting arpeggios played upon an electric harp is such a smooth move that it steals your heart like a criminal as Tanay makes you a slave to her rhythm. It just won’t stop, and you’ll be praying that it doesn’t. Capture

The single, “Love On Fleek”, is currently impacting Rhythmic and Top 40 radio, so I’m predicting you’ll be hearing it a lot as this summer winds down and autumn visits us once again here in New York City. As we trade in our cotton for wool clothing with the season’s change, one thing I know for sure, is at least we’ll have this new girl in town who’ll get us jamming on the dance floor and keep us from bouncing off the wall when our annual cabin fever kicks in. A star is born, and let’s just say, Herstory [sic] has just begun.
https://soundcloud.com/tanayjackson

Author: Ralph White