Glitzy dance instrumentals bolster a return to self-assurance. Since she broke out with “Baby Riddim” in 2021, FAVE has established herself as one of Afropop’s foremost proponents of love. On RnBling, however, the singer attempts to come to terms with the perplexing end of a romance. Hurtling between denial, bargaining, and acceptance, the project captures FAVE at her most brutally honest, working through the range of hurt feelings and heightened emotions to deliver a project that, at points, sounds like a thesis in mourning and healing. Across RnBling, FAVE balances candor with earnestness, side-stepping the duets that characterized her Riddim 5 and Dutty Love projects for an expansive display of her talents. She leans into dance music as inspiration, stacking her R&B-inspired delivery to keep pace with drum ’n’ bass and warped dubstep tempos courtesy of producers Damie and Dunnie. It’s almost as if the singer decided that the scene for processing her hurt should be a nightclub with all of its witnesses. “All my friends can see that I’m falling,” she admits on the gutsy “La La La.” For all of FAVE’s attempts to drown out the pain, the intensity of her hurt often comes pouring out. “I’m just trying to be strong, trying to live my life like I don’t miss you,” she sings alongside Chike on “Miss You.” By “Dance,” though, FAVE is accepting the situation for what it is, resigned to have a good time on the Yemi Alade-featuring “Paparazzi,”—a bit of dancehall-disco fusion perfect for stepping out in your best fit—succumbing to the dance floor’s call, and letting go of what hurts.