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On the whole this album isn’t the strongest lyrically, as there is a lot of repetition and quite unoriginal sounding lines, but this in no way detracts from the overall sound. The album opens with ‘Whole’, which sets up the album in terms of its power and strength, with the first lyric “you should just save your breath for me, and shut up…”, clearly highlighting the tangible sass that resonates off this record. The track ‘Got Body’ is also a clear representative of Lucas’ and Hervey’s gorgeous blending of old and new. For example, their first single ‘Treat Me Like Fire’ heavily draws on, and even samples Eunice Collins’ classic ‘At The Hotel 1974’. Hervey’s vocals are really impressive, as are the strong beats that flow throughout the whole record. The album in its entirety has a very clear hip-hop, pop and therefore contemporary sound, but there is a strong hint of soul and older influences. Many positive words spring to mind when listening to Begin, but one that I feel particularly describes this exciting new debut album is bold. Plus, fun fact: apparently the band name-LION BABE-derives from Goodman’s star sign being Leo and a reference to Hervey’s hair (long gorgeous curls). The two live and work in New York City, which clearly influences their musical style, as there is a distinct edginess to their work. Indeed, Begin resonates most when Hervey and Goodman are left to themselves.Begin is the first album release from duo LION BABE, composed of vocalist Jillian Hervey and producer and musician Lucas Goodman. Likewise, "Jump Hi," one of the album's several songs about independence, is disrupted by a Childish Gambino verse.
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Both songs preceded the album as singles, and neither one charted. "Wonder Woman" isn't among Pharrell Williams' strongest peacocking funk numbers, and "Where Do We Go," a busy hybrid of spiraling disco and twitching hip-hop made with Anjulie Persaud, Robin Hannibal, and Itai Shapira, is a mismatch suited better for a vocalist with a bigger voice. Hervey never adjusts her style to angle for crossover success, but a couple pairings with higher-profile outside producers don't rate with her and Goodman's best solitary work. Just as crucially, she and Goodman don't act as if innovations in R&B ceased before they were born most of these songs are as modern sounding as anything aired on radio stations classified as mainstream urban. Hervey takes cues from forthright soul-funk greats like Chaka Khan, Betty Wright, and Betty Davis, but she has a gentler character that's her own, whether she's singing of body positivity, seducing without compromising herself, or serving up would-be skipping rhymes. A little over three years after that first upload, a period that involved a batch of singles, an EP, a slew of club remixes, and a fine Disclosure collaboration, Hervey and Goodman completed Begin, their debut album. Rooted in a rare soul side that had appeared on a compilation issued by the Now-Again and Truth & Soul labels, the latter of which employed Goodman as an audio engineer for Lee Fields and Lady sessions, the song led to support from subcultural gatekeepers like Afropunk and Saint Heron and a major-label deal. "Treat Me Like Fire" was a flirtatious and assured introduction to their left-of-center, slightly retro form of R&B. New York-based duo Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman started inching toward stardom when they uploaded their first track in 2012.