Don't Look Down

Skylar Grey has come a long way since she put out albums under Holly Brook, back before her transformation into Skylar Grey. Why the change up you might ask? Something about not being of the unknown. Okay. In any case the multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter has been making big waves for years as both Brooks and Gray.

As Brooks she worked with artists ranging from For Minor to Duncan Sheik to Brie Larson. She featured on albums as a back up singer as well as a touring member of Duncan Sheik’s band. Not to shabby.

Later, as Gray, she went on to write songs as well as perform them with artists including Eminem, T.I., Lupe Fiasco, and Dr. Dre. After making the rounds as a behind the scenes player Gray eventually began work on her album, Don’t Look Down, a pop/hip hop opus that illuminates such topics as domestic violence, pregnancy, as well as some fun tracks like Come On Let Me Ride featuring Eminem.

Right off the bat I was hooked with, well, the albums hooks. A mixture of electronic musings, funky bass lines, interesting samples, and a good range in-between. The use of pop sensibilities and hip hop deliveries by a handful of special guests on the album makes for a refreshing dose of something new around every turn.

The album is layered musically and the lyrics range from pop repetitive to vulgar truths and something darker in-between. Final Warning, at first, I thought was a bit gimmicky. As I spun the album more and more the song started to stick, became more epic as something to be said type of tracks. Is this a song about a crazy girlfriend that’s nothing but trouble or is this something else? Shit, Man! featuring Angel Haze is another track that blew my mind. You don’t see it coming when the album intermixes humorous pop tracks with songs that have deep meaning. Just, damn. I love this track.

Though the radio is filled with pop garbage these days and you never know what to expect, I can see Gray becoming a radio phenom and still hanging on to an underground status as an artists that can cross lines and still have something meaningful to say. I look forward to seeing what she does next and with who. Definitely check this album out.