TAKE TIME

Before receiving a hefty signal boost on Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle,” the singer-songwriter Giveon was growing into a force in his own right. Early singles like 2018's “Garden Kisses” and “Fields” were but an appetizer for what would become the delicious main course of his debut TAKE TIME. The EP frames the California crooner as an old soul with new ears, a balladeer who makes slowing down, just for a moment, well worthwhile. Giveon's voice is singular—vintage, fragile, wrenching—and he astutely chooses production that showcases it with ease.

The project's first half is a tapestry of grooves slinking towards the engulfing crawl of the back end. “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY” is largely piano and percussion, and he soars over it, creating harmonies with himself that render a simple line like "Don't want to let you out my head" as gospel. The lead single “LIKE I WANT YOU” pulls off a similar trick to create the kind of love song that sounds like it could exist in any era; some voices can be time-travelers. The bittersweet ballad “VANISH” tiptoes along a minimal melodic line, allowing the force of his vocals to propel the song forward and draw the EP to a close. On its face, TAKE TIME is the sentimental musings of a man wandering the corridors of his own heart, but it's also a snapshot of a singer who, despite his formidable R&B inclinations, is nimble enough to steal the show in any space he chooses.