The R&B duo dvsn gets deep into its feelings on its long-awaited new album, A Muse In Her Feelings, three years after the release of 2017’s Morning After.
The duo, consisting of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, gained popularity after its release of “With Me” in 2015. The duo’s mainstream attention skyrocketed after it was signed to Drake’s record label, OVO Sound. Daley has the voice of an R&B angel, and listeners can feel his emotions through his genuine, unfiltered and sentimental style of crooning. Nineteen85 has been recognized with several awards for his producing, including three Grammy nominations, and he even won a Grammy as the songwriter for Drake’s “Hotline Bling.”
On A Muse In Her Feelings, Daley sings in a tone that contains so much emotion that you can hear the yearning in his voice. Nineteen85 is super artistic with the production, especially with the endings of each track. Some tracks end with a short monologue, others with choir sounds or catchy beats and others link to the next track.
The duo lines up a talented crew of features, including PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jessie Reyez, Future and Snoh Aalegra. Something about the way Nineteen85 produces in a way that makes Daley’s voice compatible with any artist is so captivating. The producer definitely knows how to match the beats to flatter the featured artist, and Daley sounds fantastic in just about any tempo.
“No Good” is full of lyrics containing honest, personal feelings about failure to find or give love, over ’80s-sounding instrumentals combined with a soft 808 trap beat. It is truly an anthem for hopeless romantics who continue to attempt love despite all the complications they run into when they try to make love work out. The track ends in a very contemporary R&B manner, with a woman explaining her fear of vulnerability.
The opening track begins with Daley releasing some deeply personal lyrics, “Somehow I lost the vision / I'm not like you; I'm not so optimistic / I realize I'm just too realistic / My mom says you're the one I should have kids with / I should just listen.” The pure honesty and emotion put into these lyrics is such a strong introduction to an album full of in-the-feels ballads.
“Still Pray For You” is a track in which Daley explains that despite all that has changed in his life, his heart and his mind are still the same. He mentions family problems and the recent loss of a close friend. The guitar strums make it feel like a time machine has brought us back to the early 2000s. The smooth switch up at around 90 seconds and contains a sample of Kansas City Express’ “This Is The Place,” which Daley sings softly over in such a suave manner that he ends up harmonizing with it.
Daley highlights the materialism in society and the shrinking circle of those he truly trusts: “Everything is all about what you got these days / My circle been lookin' more like a dot these days / Can't get my real family in the same room and / All these brand new people act like family reunion.”
The transition from “So What (feat. Popcaan)” to “Outlandish” is so satisfying and helps set the mood. “Outlandish” is one of the songs with an outro that has a mind of its own as it blends into the following song. Despite the song being slow-paced and emotional with a slight kickbeat, the choppy beats and lyrics at the end sound like an upbeat combination of R&B and EDM. The lyrics are about an emotional and physical connection between two people that cannot be broken despite outside distractions. The mood while listening to this song is comparable to riding down a California highway in a convertible on a perfect summer day.
Daley explains his devotion to the target of his affection, singing: “Room full of people, but I feel like we're alone / They might be watching, but I didn't notice / I'm too focused on you.”
The R&B duo delivers the perfect album to get into your feels during quarantine. Daley’s angelic vocals along with Nineteen85’s creative twists between instrumentals and beats, outros and intros and smooth sample transitions are admirable. It’s one of those albums that does not contain a song that you feel the need to skip. The two-year wait for a new project was made up for, as dsvn clearly put a lot of hard work into A Muse In Her Feelings.
Rating: 5/5
