20s, 50s, 100s | Kat Dahlia - Review
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to reintroduce you to Kat Dahlia. The Miami songstress returned on the music scene today by releasing a 3 track project titled "20s, 50s, 100s". The project is produced entirely by Arthur McArthur, and features the songs "Run it Up", "Voices in my Head", and "Lion". Dahlia hasn't released any new music since her debut album, My Garden and to be honest, these songs are a much needed breath of fresh air. The style is heavily influenced by her heritage and there's definitely a bounce and swagger about these new songs.
Run it Up starts off a little slow with a heavy baseline. The beginning reminds me of Jhene Aiko, but as the song progresses, Kat's gritty voice comes out and pushes the song along. The song is about not worrying about money. It repeats the project name "20s, 50s, 100s" and features the words "take that bill and run it up". This could elude to Kat now having a little more money than she used to. Now she doesn't really look at the price of certain things because she knows she can afford it.
The next song "Voices in my Head" sounds like a solo trip through Kat's mind. This song peddles along with the help of what sounds like a Rhodes keyboard and distorted vocals that accompany Kat's. The voices sound almost ghostly. This song is definitely about an internal struggle. The chorus repeats "I've got voices in my head telling me I'm dead". The verses talk about failure and not fully being able to reach what one thought was attainable. The song essentially is about dealing with that feeling of defeat and fighting the voice in your head that says that you're worthless.
The last song "Lion" is definitely a flex track. From the booming drums that start the song, this is definitely a song you can bounce to. Kat boasts about having tattoos, smelling the blood from a mile away, and daring her enemies to say it to her face. This song just tells it like it is. She recognizes her power, influence, and talent, and she's not afraid to let the world know. With a name like Lion, what else would anyone expect?
I'm feeling these new songs from Kat Dahlia. It's still reminiscent of her older sound, but with a realization of who she is now. This project, I feel is the exact time stamp of where she in her career a year after the release of debut album. She's come to terms with what things are. She's fighting those inner demons, and she's hungry. This is exactly what I like to see from an artist like Kat Dahlia. I give this project a solid 7/10 for solid production, lyrics, and realness.