S. Raekwon - “Tall”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Mount Kimbie, Cautious Clay, serpentwithfeet

Last year, S. Raekwon followed up his R&B debut Where I’m at Now with the I Like It When You Smile EP, a collection that adds some textured vibrance to the New York artist’s early catalog. Threads of funk and pop are elevated on songs like “Tall” and “Talk” as S. Raekwon embraces a nostalgic bounce born from old-school soul and hip hop. It’s a little more fun, a little more detailed, and a little more romantic, a natural evolution for the charming performer. It’s also S. Raekwon’s most accessible collection and a guidepost to where he could go for LP number two. (Kevin McStravick)

2022 Review: Part electronic R&B and part chillwave pop, S. Raekwon sets a hazy space for his debut full-length Where I’m at Now. By filtering big melodies into an experimental, pared-back air, S. Raekwon achieves a comforting sound that is equally weird and catchy. Funky but not dance-pop, groovy but not straight soul-R&B, S. Raekwon rather takes those influences and morphs it into his own, sweetly relaxed sound. There’s some more straightforward electro-R&B ballads on Where I’m at Now too, balancing the otherwise eclectic pop offerings, both melancholy and upbeat, on his subtly adventurous debut.