L.A.’s own Elle Varner is simply on the rise. Being born to parents that are published songwriters, it was just in her to be an artist. With her NYU schooling and artistic dynamics, she eventually signed to J Records. With a single released featuring J. Cole, her buzz is building up even more. With that said, she released Conversational Lush, her “mixtape” before her official album.

It is time for brutal honesty at this moment: this mixtape jams. It’s so good that her album will have even higher expectations.

What makes her music so magnetic is the realistic approach and singing ability. After her telephone call intro track (“Hello”), she goes into “WTF”, a track of a day going horribly wrong. “Refill”, albeit short in length, brings strong and engulfing vocals that consistently ask for replenishment. “Do You Want To” questions her significant other’s desires to leave with much conviction and power that comes off extraordinary. With a strong ability to write her own songs, Elle makes a stake at being that dynamic in the R&B world.

Even more impressive is the sound that she takes with this mixtape. “EV” samples Jay-Z’s “H to the Izzo” while she rap-sings the entire thing. “Go” has her singing her heart out over a mixture of high time instrumentals and drum-n-bass rhythms. “Feel Like a Woman” (featuring Bei Major) meshes her powerful vocal arrangements with Jamaican riddims that completely work. It is safe to say that the meshing of styles makes for a completely rewarding experience.

Truthfully speaking, Conversational Lush has the power to be somewhat career defining. A lot of her latter work will probably be compared to this. This can be a gift and a curse. The gift of an immediate exposure explosion could be calmed by later disappointment. Then again, this is what happens when your mixtape is powerful album worthy material. It will be thought-provoking to see what Elle Varner makes of this highly remarkable music.

 

If you found yourself rocking to Only Wanna Give It To You but wasn’t sure who sung it, check out the video below:

 

 

Article written by Mark A. Harris, contributing writer for STACKS Magazine