There's a soft sophistication to Dutch singer/songwriter Benny Sings' music that evokes the sunny adult-contemporary pop of the '70s and early '80s. It's a vibe he has cultivated on past albums and one he brings to another level with 2023's Young Hearts. A collaboration with producer Kenny Beats, the album leans more towards the early-'80s end of the throwback spectrum as Sings and Beats marry jazzy, synth-accented melodies with bubbly electronic grooves. Sings and Beats first got together for the track "Don't Look" off ...
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There's a soft sophistication to Dutch singer/songwriter Benny Sings' music that evokes the sunny adult-contemporary pop of the '70s and early '80s. It's a vibe he has cultivated on past albums and one he brings to another level with 2023's Young Hearts. A collaboration with producer Kenny Beats, the album leans more towards the early-'80s end of the throwback spectrum as Sings and Beats marry jazzy, synth-accented melodies with bubbly electronic grooves. Sings and Beats first got together for the track "Don't Look" off Sings' 2021 mixtape Beat Tape II. As with that track, the songs on Young Hearts are a perfect balance of Sings' laid-back melodic hooks and Beats' funky, hip-hop-inspired grooves. It's an immediately infectious blend perhaps best expressed on the title track, a song that wouldn't sound out of place on a Joe Jackson album of the early '80s. Joining Sings on the track is California singer Remi Wolf, whose bright, highly resonant vocals nicely contrast with Sings' more low-key style. Wolf also jumps on board for "Pyjamas," a Latin-inflected number that evokes the balmy, '70s Brazilian Tropicalia of artists like Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa. Equally expressive moments follow, including the piano-driven "The World," the bittersweet ballad "Love Will Find a Way," and the R&B-infused "Take Your Time." Young Hearts is certainly evocative of the breezy AM pop era, so much so that it's easy to imagine yourself listening to the album while driving around in a convertible VW Bug. That said, the synergy between Sings and Beats gives the record a nice balance between a throwback coziness and contemporary hipness. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
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