I’m not even sure if I finished streaming his album on Spotify before I rushed on iTunes to purchase it. After listening to “Harveston Lake,” the eighth track on Johnny Rain’s third solo project, “11,” I didn’t need to. The song, entirely self-produced like the rest of his album was full of raw emotion, screamed for attention. I don’t mean in a “Hey! Listen to me, hear me, like me!” way that many of today’s artists seem to aim for, but instead a thought provoking and vibe inducing sound that makes you want more. Johnny Rain’s music is refreshing in an industry who’s R&B scene is currently hit-or-miss and lacking of projects holding much substance. To be completely honest, it would be doing Rain an injustice to limit his sound solely to the R&B genre. He has been quoted saying that “avant-electro” is the most “veracious title” to describe how his music feels. Still, R&B influences can be counted throughout his tracks, along with influences of many other genres and cultures, making this music for everyone. The California native with musical upbringings has been doing this for a long time and it shows. It’s about time we’ve noticed.
Songs to Check Out: Harveston Lake, Ten, Something New Maybe, Bad Religion, Lullaby of Machine.
For Fans of: PartyNextDoor, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Prince, Sade.
Quoteable Lyrics:
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“You hurt my heart, you hurt my soul. We fall apart, apart so hard, but don’t let go.”
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“Hallucinating you was like a mouth of air.”
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“A love that’s blind could never truly grow.”
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“All I got is love, is that a choice still?”
Discography:
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Lullaby of Machine (2013)
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Villain (2013)
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11 (2015)