Nicotine - “Running”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…H.E.R., SZA, Noname

Nicotine’s An Open Letter is an excellent slice of alternative R&B, a record tilted with hip hop melodies and sweet, indie pop soundscapes throughout the spacious piece. Performed with a downtempo sway, the Houston-based trio known as Famous Honey enter dreamy, psychedelic territory throughout An Open Letter, balancing that level of experimentation with a classic, lounge-jazz foundation. Opening with “An Open Letter (Intro)”, Nicotine introduces her music in beat-poetry mode, storytelling over open jazz chords and light organic percussion before moving into the breezy groove of “Tired”. Neo-soul melodies tend to hold strongest within Nicotine’s voice, singing with an understated way that is silky smooth, but she also twists expectations on tracks like “Bantu Knots and Boudain”, employing a viscus rap tone that lurks instead of glides. The smoky air that hangs over An Open Letter also emits some mysterious haze, teetering between tight and explorative, but always grooving as one. Key single “Running” is a clear highlight towards the close of An Open Letter, the most pop oriented track in the collection and one that succeeds with hooky songwriting laid over Nicotine’s chilled-out space. (Kevin McStravick)