Indie Light

Bebe Rexha is a singer/songwriter and musician from New York. While primarily a pop musician, she’s noted for her fluid musical style incorporating in style from and releasing music in the hip-hop, alternative rock, country and electronic genres just to name a few. Today, I’ll be reviewing Rexha’s album ‘Bebe’ which was released April 28th 2023.

‘Heart Wants What It Wants’ kicks off with a nice percussive beat that blends into a more complex rhythmic electronic melody, and then leads perfectly into Bebe’s sensational vocals. I really like how less than a minute in, the track is full of vibrancy and energy, but it’s not overwhelming, instead you’re swept along on a building and engaging number that immediately captivates you. 

‘Miracle Man’ has quirky and distorted open, sonorous tones that blend into a tight percussive beat, and then Bebe’s vocals merge in, creating a really solid track. We get to see both sides of her voice as well, huskier and deeper parts counterpointed by heavenly high notes. This track has a really good energy, it’s got bounce and passion and attitude and is just superb. 

‘Satellite’ hammers forward, with an honest to god Snoop Dogg cameo, but even if we ignore the rap icon it’s a sensational track. Rexha has a truly masterful balance of depth and intensity in her vocal performances. I love the juxtaposition of the hammering energy of the track, and the slower vocals, and then just when you get used to that, she shifts her delivery for a faster, more energetic delivery. 

‘When It Rains’ kicks off with electronic tones, blending, before giving way to a heavy, percussive beat, that’s deep and dark and imposing, and yet Rexha harnesses it, to deliver another sensational vocal performance. Sometimes with heavier instrumentals, a vocalist, regardless of how talented, can get lost, but Rexha has a voice that’s powerful and in absolute control of the beat throughout. 

‘Call on Me’ has running strings, creating a rich and energetic beat, light percussion overlaid on top of that, and Rexha just hammers forward, her voice is just breathtaking, and as it dances with the striking piano chords you are just overwhelmed. This is a party track if ever I’ve heard one, it just has the right balance of highs and lows, ups and downs, rhythm and beat, that are perfect for just taking over a moment. 

‘I’m Good (Blue)’ borrows elements from an absolute banger from my childhood, the classic from Eiffel 65, and it’s a truly sensational track. Just hearing the melody is enough to make me like this entry, but Rexha captures it and makes it her own. I love the techno infused melody, the powerful bass and synth driven chords, that just fill you up. 

‘Visions (Don’t Go)’ keeps the energy up, light percussion and synthy tones that build as they progress, and blend into Rexha’s solid vocal performance. She really gives it her all to each track, and I’m just blown away by her talent and range as an artist. I loved the lightness and brightness of this track, as much as the energy, it really worked for me. 

‘I’m Not High, I’m in Love’ has an incredible build, that gives way to a phenomenal forward building beat, you just get caught up in the performance. More so than the past couple of tracks, this one has a lot of counterpoints to the melody, and it’s more rhythmically complex. While it’s hard to pick a favourite when every single track so far has been exceptional, I think this entry on the album is my personal highlight. 

‘Blue Moon’ kicks off with distorted guitar that creates a really unique melody, and again Rexha’s vocals explode forward, a nice percussive undertone to punctuate the more intense moments, as we relentlessly push onwards. As I said earlier, this album is absolutely packed full of amazing tracks, and Rexha is a truly superb performer, this track snags the number 2 slot for me, right behind the previous track, as my personal highlight of the whole release. 

‘Born Again’ slows things down just a touch, guitar infused melodies, blend with her voice, and softly and slowly take us forward. Because of the more subdued core melody upfront this has some of the best vocal performances of the album, which is saying something because the entire album is just full of amazing vocals. 

‘I Am’ blends softer, more protracted, trilling synthy notes, with a faster bass infused beat, to create a really richly textured melody. Much like the previous track, I feel like this has some of the best vocals of the album. I am just blown away by the depth and impact of Rexha’s voice and singing ability. In this penultimate track, I am in awe of her talent and I cannot wait to hear more from the artist. 

‘Seasons’ features Dolly Parton, which alone would have been enough to earn a thumbs up from me, but it’s also a spectacular track, and a solid closer to what has been an album replete with absolute bangers. Compared to some of the other entries on this album the instrumental backing is simpler, and relatively stripped back, which is good because it allows the strength of both vocalists to truly shine, and the balance of their harmonies is truly sensational. 

So that’s what I thought of Bebe Rexha’s album ‘Bebe’ and you can check that out over on Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the artist on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.