Review: "Wide Awake Dreamin'" EP by Drew Graham
Ypsilanti, MI based rap artist and producer Drew Graham delivers freewheeling flows on the blissed-out vibes of his new EP, “Wide Awake Dreamin”. Lyrics have a nimble quality to them while they navigate a whole slew of different spectrums. Songs effortlessly blend into each other in a way that creates a coherent, cohesive whole.
Everything has a sun-drenched, almost Balearic quality to it. By incorporating a summery flavor to it, Drew’s flows are given additional emphasis, and the instrumentals exist and roll on through leisurely with such ease. Nothing ever becomes too dense for he ensures that the spaced-out quality remains intact.
Drew’s flows go for a mellowed-vibe akin to MF Doom’s style. Taking his time, he lets these tracks unfurl and evolve at their own pace. With the airy spaciousness the production goes for a Toro Y Moi intimacy. The bright textures work wonders featuring a slight nod towards pop without wholeheartedly embracing it. By straddling this thin line, the songs gain a certain degree of the unexpected for they shift in unexpectedly delightful ways. Samples go for a wide range going from ambient to jazz and everywhere in between.
“Galactic” dives headfirst into the sound with a small interaction magnified and done with such care. Cyclical looping gives “Doo Too Much” an effortless style, perfectly keeping in sync with the power of the lyrics. Here there is a joy to simply taking it easy, not stressing, just relaxing. The gentle keys of “$hootin Star” feel outright joyous, as the bubbling layers intermingle as the lyrics have a meditative spirit. Within these words a sense of a life lived to the fullest emerges, making it the heart and soul of the collection.
Nimble beats frame the whole of “The Secret (Interlude)”. Stately with its swagger is the nearly beatless scope of “Seen A Lot”, featuring Ann Arber, MI artist Obie Iyoha. Bass worms through on the heady mix of “Star Spangled”. Haunting melodies waft up into the heavens with the stunning finale of “10 Toes”.
The “Wide Awake Dreamin’” EP goes for a surreal scope, with Drew Graham exploring a series of small vignettes with the absolute utmost of care and compassion.