Take Time (EP)＜Colored Vinyl＞

Giveon arrives as a complete artist with this generous EP. Although he developed his vocal style after he was encouraged to sing like Frank Sinatra, theres no mistaking his deep baritone for that of the chairman, any member of Chairmen of the Board, or even any of his contemporaries. The sense of both urgency and poise in his voice, clear as a bell throughout Take Time, suggests that hes engaging in thoughtful dialogue with his subject, not merely spilling his emotions across the grainy and subtly stimulating productions from the likes of WondaGurl, Boi-1da, Los Hendrix, Jahaan Sweet, and Sevn Thomas. In the opener, Giveon welcomes a lover to his rough side of town, but the couple soon lose sense of time as they float through World We Created -- a retro-contemporary classic in the making -- before they go through moments of conflicted desire, uncertainty, heartsick withdrawal, and rejection. The songs with tangled emotions are no less engrossing than the one that evokes a moment of pure bliss. ~ Andy Kellman