JAGUAR II – VICTORIA MONÉT
Released: August 25, 2023
Genre: RnB, Neo-Soul
Runtime: 35 Minutes
American singer-songwriter Victoria Monét gained notable acclamations in her early career, with writing credits for artists such as Nas, Chris Brown, Fifth Harmony and more. However, despite releasing her own songs since 2014 with her EP Nightmares & Lullabies: Act 1, it wasn’t until her efforts on Ariana Grande’s album Thank U Next (that had two Grammy nominations) did we see how polished and critical her songwriting can be. With Jaguar coming out in 2020, we caught glimpses of her real potential, so how does Jaguar II play out in comparison?
Jaguar II is a rich blend of contemporary RnB and Neo-Funk with a sprinkle of funk motifs. Monét’s smooth and dreamy vocals are enchanting, powered with powerful and sexy lyrics. Good Bye is fitting as the closing song which Monét sings in a very somber tone behind beautiful chord progressions. It’s a song about moving on from a past relationship and hoping to say goodbye on good terms. Getting to the long outro of the song, we’re met with harmonic vocals on very spacey but funk inspired drum kicks, with flares of a horn section to really spice up the end of the album. It’s almost like she’s saying a happy goodbye to the audience too.
The only drawback I have with the album is its short length and some songs and sounds can be a little repetitive. I would’ve liked to see Victoria Monét get a little adventurous like she did on the song Party Girls, a Jamaican dancehall type of track. Overall a small but impressive body of work from the singer.
