Jon Bellion
The Human Condition
Reviewed by: Carlos Esqueda
Jon Bellion’s voice resonates throughout the pop music industry. Bellion wrote and produced “Trumpets” for Jason Derulo, and the GRAMMY winning song “The Monster” for Eminem and Rihanna. He has attracted a devoted fan base through a series of three free online albums and sold out tours, while along the way providing the vocals for Zedd’s “Beautiful Now” and B.o.B’s “Violence.” Now, his vision takes the spotlight on The Human Condition.
To take into perspective the depth of the album, let me describe listening to the fifth song, “Fashion”. Two minutes into listening to the song and I was digging the sound, but found it really weird that this guy was praising the gods of fashion and encouraging reckless spending on the latest trends, when every other song on the album had some genius lyrics (not saying that fashion is lame, but I would think for Jon Bellion fashion would be the last thing he’d want to write a song about). So I waited, and then three minutes in I hear “Might be gold but that sh*t still a chain” and boom! the song gains an entire new meaning. All this time Bellion was merely poking fun at the lavish lives we all aim for, linking fashion to our materialistic needs and helping us realize that at the end of the day no matter if it’s gold, “…that sh*t still a chain”.
Much like “Fashion” every song in the album drives itself between witty lines and unique sounds a well placed blend of Jon Bellion’s voice and the experimentation with sounds that has driven much of music today. Each song in the album places the basic human conditions in a different light, and much like his ventures with melodies, each song ventures to tell a different perspective on the situations that compose our essential human conditions. From growth (“Woke The F-ck Up”) to emotion (“The Good In Me”) and aspirations (“Maybe IDK”), he takes the same artistry he brought to “All Time Low” to this album.
“New York Soul (part ii)” is one of my favorite songs in the album, paying homage to the beauty in the struggles of what seems to be reminiscence of Bellion’s childhood. “Guillotine”, the first track from the album debuted at #10 on the Spotify US Viral Chart and #15 on the Global Viral Chart, has the feels of a hot summer day out in the pool. Much like “Guillotine”, I can guarantee many of the songs on the album to land themselves on the radio in the months to come. Bellion’s ventures with sounds, voice and lyrics have made The Human Condition a refreshing forthcoming that is sure to place limelight on the works that are to come. I don’t guarantee Jon Bellion’s immediate launch into stardom, but I know the fan base he has built, and genuine workmanship that has come to every song on the album will have his name (or rather songs) buzzing in the back of our minds.
Rating: Bad-Ass
