- Josiah Wise shoots for the stars on his third album, taking a bold step toward the mainstream with a clubbier sound and guest features from Ty Dolla $ign and Mick Jenkins.
- When Josiah Wise dropped "Damn Gloves" last October, it was a bit of a surprise. The lead single from his third album bolstered the gospel-influenced singer's outspoken vocals with a pumping kick drum and a verse from R&B superstar Ty Dolla $ign. Before this, when Wise wasn't being "big big sad" to a funeral march by Katie Gately, he was "spending less time worrying and more time recounting the love" over cutesy, bass-heavy compositions by Sampha and Lil Silva. On "Damn Gloves," he's lustily panting the chorus—"Hold you closer closer than those damn gloves"—over a bouncing Jersey club beat alongside a major label artist from a scene that thrives on pomp and bravado.
Those responsible for thrusting Wise into this bold, new setting are a quartet of producers called I Like That. (Mike Irish also co-produced the LP, and Nosaj Thing helped out.) As a collective, I Like That have worked with up-and-coming R&B and rap artists, while individual members of the group like Malik Sanders and Wesley Robinson have produced for everyone from Drake to Ojerime, punctuating long slabs of sub-bass with claps, clicks or guitar riffs. Their tone here feels almost standoffish and cool—even if "Damn Gloves" does mosey along at 129 BPM—creating a welcome contrast to the intimacy and earnestness of Wise's lyrics.
Wise's songwriting is as idiosyncratic and thought-provoking as ever on GRIP, exploring various scenarios that could arise on a night out. "Choke me now, fuck me now / Upload that dick into the cloud," he swoons over a half-stumbling guitar triplet on "Safe Word," a song title that leaves as little to the imagination as Wise's blunt lyrics. He's more subtle but no less shrewd on "Spades" with its chorus of "You still satisfy my appetite"—he's basically saying, "You'll do." This is the album's most moving song, but the flippant chorus is a clever way of weighing up the comforts of a long-term relationship against the thrill of a short-term fling. It's a typically sly serpentwithfeet touch that survives the transition to glitzier, glammier music.
GRIP is, essentially, a suaver-sounding version of his second album, DEACON. Compare the smooth guitar of "Ellipsis" with the stutter on "Amir." Where the guitar and drum beat on "Amir," mimic the stammering excitement of Wise's stream of questions, "Ellipsis" emphasises his confidence with lithe notes backed by full-bodied kick drums. GRIP's compositions are also simple and muted, like Wise is whispering in your ear. The plod of "Hummin" keeps things hushed and intimate, a contrast to the more grandiose style of his earlier works. The only time this doesn't work as well is when there's no counterpoint, like "Lucky Me," which lacks the cheek of "Hummin'" or the hearty percussion of "Ellipsis."
In general, though, GRIP's sleek approach is an exciting direction for an artist as original and off-kilter as Wise. With its noticeable shift in tone—and the novelty of big-name guests and rappers—there are some daring steps taken here that add a layer of chic silkiness to his music. Still, even with the knocking drums and trap-inspired basslines, GRIP rarely loses sight of Wise's style: guitar notes tremble just like his vibrato and Mick Jenkins' rap on "Black Air Force” is littered with references to Wise's gospel heritage ("I'ont see nobody letting loose / Like the preacher's kid do").
Wise said in a 2021 interview that some people think of R&B singers as less worthy of virtuoso status than those in more traditional fields, like opera. "[But] to sound that great and to improvise so freely and to do it all while looking incredible—all this takes a lot of time," he said. And GRIP is his proof. Wise's third album is striking not only because of his unparalleled voice or his candid verse, parts of his artistry that already caught our attention on the last two albums, but because of the way these elements come together in such an assured way, in a space that demands swagger bravado from its virtuosos delivered with a welcome vulnerability.
Tracklist01. Damn Gloves feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Yanga YaYa
02. Safe Word
03. Spades
04. Deep End
05. Rum / Throwback
06. Black Air Force
07. Hummin'
08. Ellipsis
09. Lucky Me
10. 1 to 10