oh i knew life would be alright
but who could've known it'd be this good?
25. Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album
For anyone who needed more proof that our best R&B stars surprise releasing in December is an annual thing now. This album is ALL about commitment to one singular aesthetic, in this case sexy sexy nocturnal lounge shenanigans aka the thing Jeremih has realized over the last couple years he does better than anyone else on the planet. He has said, and I quote: "I can make a great sex song anytime I want, without even saying a body part, without saying anything that would be omitted on the radio. Somehow I’ve just been given that ability" + I don't know how true every part of that statement is but you can't deny he knows what he's doing, and within his lane of choice he's only getting better. Remember Birthday Sex? ofc you do. There are so many songs where parts I've thought were the chorus have turned out not to be at all, but that's the consistency of the writing here; it's very purposeful, but it's sneaky in a way too.
Don't Tell Em was one of the very best singles of 2014, yet by the time it rolls around here like your first gasp of air after 40 minutes underwater you just don't need it at all; it's a disruption of the vibe he's curated up to that point and you're ready after a second to go back down. Late Nights is Jeremih's first proper album since his reemergence as mainstream urban's best bridge to the shadowy and subtle (though if you haven't plz plz go and give a listen to the free
Late Nights with Jeremih tape) aand he took his sweet ass time delivering it to us, but it's a masterclass in negative space and through it, patience. If only we had known it was this important.
