Khalid
"American Teen"
(RCA (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK))
In the spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. For Khalid Robinson, a 19-year-old El Paso-born pop-hop kid, however, such woozy thinking _ come summer _ is ripe with dire desolation, unrequited romance, vicious head trips, messy break-ups, and weed. Ah, late teendom. Performed before a blustery bank of silvery New Wave-y synths, gurgling sequencers, and sprightly rhythms ("8TEEN" being the most high-energy), the breathy, rough-hewn singer- songwriter tackles confessional, cutting-edge soul with a sort of mawkish, insecure sway so apt for his age. "I'm not the best at showing my emotions," he sings on "Another Sad Love Song," a tale of muzzled relationships in league with similar "American Teen" tunes such as the moody ballad "Cold Blooded" and the commitment-phobic "Young Dumb & Broke." For all the soulful, doleful hanging at the corner of Heartbreak & Whine, American Teen is a glad-to-be-unhappy, mini-masterpiece of a debut about growing up and out of adolescence in the present day. Only the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" capture the blemishes and buoyancy of youth with such zeal, melody and unique vision. Good job.
_A.D. Amorosi
