Rod Wave is a true talent that sings directly from his diaphragm. To avoid the pitch-corrected style, is not only bold, but you have to show that your voice is really that stellar. And trust us when we say that not only does Wave have godly vocal precision, but he inspires with his sound in a refreshing way. In our One Week Later series we like to highlight a project 7 days after it’s initial release. This week I’ve chosen to write about Rod Wave’s album Ghetto Gospel.
You may be familiar with Rod because of this recent viral, live performance of “Heart On Ice”. Tugging at our heart strings, Wave puts it all on the line. You can feel the pain that he’s been through and it resonates with our souls. This was a perfect time to deliver this performance on the heels of Ghetto Gospel dropping. Throughout each of these fourteen tracks Wave procures a feeling of transforming trials to triumph. The darkness of his past still haunts him, but it has shaped his sound and his mental state today.
The production on songs like “Sky Priority” and “Dark Conversations” mesh incredibly with Rod’s passionate vocal runs. The percussion is powerful and evokes emotion even before Rod blesses the booth. His beat selection is pretty on point and this keeps his fans satisfied.
Both songs with Kevin Gates, “Cuban Links” and “Titanic” only add to this project’s magnitude. These guys push each other to be the best product of themselves they can be. Wave’s honest flows of pain connect with his listeners and to put Gates on here makes them lose their mind. “Cuban Links” is the more rugged of the two, but “Titanic” still has a wide variety of tremendous attributes.
“Soldier Life” stands out to me because of the upbeat instrumentation that Wave floats over effortlessly. “Didn’t ask to be alive but I’m living” sings Rod and that’s a very deep, and ominous way to start a chorus. The thing is, Rod Wave knows that the majority of the music people drop are artificial products. He’s not worried about anything other than being authentic and telling the world about his journey.
“Chip On My Shoulder” is one of my favorite cuts from the project because of it’s subtle guitar riffs. Wave paints vivid pictures with his storytelling and it takes your brain to another place. To remove the heavy southern drums from a rap and R&B fusion project is a wild move, but this is a beautiful song none the less. Rod’s voice is a phenomenal thing to utilize, so each cut makes sure it’s highlighted beautifully.
What I’ve learned from this Ghetto Gospel is that Rod Wave is a real man of artistry who is going to have a long and fruitful career. Connecting with your fans in the heat of their problems will cause them to love your sound for years and even decades. These transparent and truthful topics that Wave has gifted us will bring tears to your eyes, but these tears will bring strength along with them. A special thank you to Rod Wave himself, this is a very powerful opus, we’ll see you next week with more gas.
