In my eyes, August Alsina is as intriguing to listen to as any other R&B act in the game. I love his passion, I love his willingness to let loose vocally, and most importantly, I love how raw his content is. On “Forever And A Day,” he dives deep into his bag of tricks, gifting us with a body of work that is perfect for Valentines day.

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TOP 3

 

3. FOREVER AND A DAY

“Forever And A Day” starts this EP off right! The song is a R&B banger that is uptempo, futuristic-sounding and high-octane. What I love most about it is that August gets a chance to get lost in his chicks love on it, which means powerful lyrical content, daring singing and a level of harmonizing the R&B game has been missing for a while now. Other than Alsina’s shaky crooning at times, I don’t have an issue with this song.

Though August is talking about some chick he’s f**king with on his verses, it does feel like the main point of this song is to remind us that he’s back and isn’t going anywhere.

 

 

2. LOST

Most of the songs on this EP are good, but “For You” is special! Following in the path of your traditional slow jam, August was able to shine bright, painting a vivid picture of his sexual desires through a catchy hook, deep harmonizing and unadulterated lyrical content.  In my opinion, you get nothing but authentic vibes on the song, which makes for the perfect bedroom jam.

 

 

1. US

“US” is fire! It is powered by an uptempo instrumental that encourages D4L-like dancing, feel-good vibes and a very infectious hook. Content-wise, I love how August blends celebratory lyrical content with shaky memories, making the idea of triumphing in a relationship that was once in doubt feel like winning a championship.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. FOREVER AND A DAY (4.5/5)

2. BE LOVE (4/5)

3. FOR YOU (4/5)

4. CONTROL (4.5/5)

5. SECRET (4/5)

6. GO (3.5/5)

7. LOST (4.5/5)

8. US (5/5)

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OVERALL RATING

(B+)

 

After listening to “Forever And A Day,” below are some of the things I loved: 

1. August Alsina decided to do away with random subject-matters such as being hood, and instead, he focused on love, love and more love. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s dope to hear music like “I Luv This S**t” and “Ghetto” from him, but at this point of his career, I think it’s imperative his content matures. Focusing on relationship-matters is a very mature approach to tackle.
2. August Alsina’s versatility on this EP is fantastic! As I stated earlier, he provides the world with everything from R&B bangers to legit slow jams on this project, shining bright by simply infusing his own creative flare into each. For a singer like him, you never want to put him in a box, so I was very pleased with the production on this album.
3. August stayed in his lane. Everything he does well, he does on this EP. At no point did he acquiesce to the music you hear today — something I’m sure he was tempted to do.

 

Below are some of the things I hated about “Forever And A Day”:

1. It was short. eight tracks is a good sample size for an artist like August, but at the same time, those eight tracks breezed by rather quickly. Maybe we missed August more than we initially thought.
2. August Alsina isn’t as sharp as he once was vocally. He’s still a damn good singer, but I thought he swung and missed when it came to certain notes on this EP. The silver lining about his vocal shortcomings is that it forced him to rely on passion, strong lyrical content and infectious melodies a lot more; a few aspects that make him special.
3. Who’s that random n***a that’s singing with August on “For You?” He sounds like he suffers from nasal drip. Is that August’s alter ego? (Update: It’s Keith Sweat)

I was very pleased with this EP. Though I do not believe August reached his potential vocally on it, I do think it fell in line with what he does best musically.