Initially of the group Color Me Badd, Bryan Abrams is back on the scene with a brand new single titled “Because of You.” An elegant ballad, “Because of You” reunites Abrams with this longtime collaborator Hamza Lee, who assists in the song’s production. Abrams bares his soul in the autobiographical ballad, which begins with lush production before Abrams opens up the song with sincere honesty in the first verse.
Abrams gracefully sings,
“I was only half a man
I was only halfway there
Until you showed me you cared
Said you wanted to share
Your life with me
And from that moment I knew
And when I look in your eyes
Baby girl, you complete me
That’s why I sincerely
Want you to know
That your heart fills my soul
And it’s because of you”.
On my first listen of the song, I instantly felt that Abrams was paying homage to the classic songwriting book for Debarge in the sense that he delivers an R&B song that would feel at home in church with a few lyric swaps. Nevertheless the positive vibes in the song shows the talent in Abrams’s voice.
When many established singers are focusing on the wrong demographics for sales, I commend Abrams for staying true to himself in the song and avoiding the use of auto-tune or current trends in 2022. “Because of You” was recently featured in the film For the love of Money, and hopefully, other filmmakers will hear the song, as it would feel right at home in a romantic comedy. If “Because of You” is the vibe that Bryan Abrams is going for on his new album, I look forward to hearing the rest.
Final Grade: A
“Because of You” is available on all streaming platforms.
For more on Bryan Abrams, check out his website https://bryanabramsmusic.com.
In addition, be on the lookout for my exclusive interview with the singer in the coming weeks.
This past Friday marked the 40th anniversary of “The Voice,” a.k.a. Whiney Houston’s self-titled debut album hitting stores. So, in that regard, it was only right to give Nippy her flowers for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
For this weekend’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to take a trip to Motor City and show some love to soul singer Dwele. It was 2005, and I was living in the UK as part of my Air Force enlistment. Dwele had just released his second album, “Some Kinda,” enjoying some chart success with the lead single “I Think I Love U,” by Mike City.
The remainder of the album maintains a classic R&B vibe, showcasing the group’s signature sound. One of the standout tracks is “Maybe Tomorrow,” featuring the iconic Phyllis Hyman. It transforms difficult circumstances into positive outcomes—essentially making lemonade from lemons.