If you were planning on protecting your peace, Giveon has other plans.
American singer-songwriter Giveon Dezmann Evans dropped his second studio album “BELOVED” on July 11. The 14 tracks give listeners 38 minutes of an emotional rollercoaster by holding a magnifying glass to every phase of getting over a breakup.
‘BELOVED’ also pays homage to ‘70s rhythm and blues, which relied heavily on strong instrumentals and soulful vocals. This is for those who’ve lingered on a dead love for too long before moving on.
The intro reflects the recovery stage of a fresh breakup. “MUD” kicks things off with a magical instrumental that continues throughout the entire album. While the music shines in this intro song, the lyrics cannot go unnoticed. “When you tell your story, it means telling everything about me” speaks the same as Fleetwood Mac’s “you’ll never get away from the sound of a woman that loves you.”
This also touches on one of the main themes in the album: the struggle of finding who you are outside of a relationship. It’s not uncommon to feel like the person you are after a breakup is too reflective of your ex. “RATHER BE” dives into the reality of settling out of convenience despite having someone else on your mind. It’s a waste of time, especially when Giveon knows he’d “rather be with you than the other half of someone who’s not even half of you.”
“TWENTIES” is Giveon realizing he spent too much of his youth with someone who was never going to be the right one. He thought he was growing alongside them, when in reality everything he learned to love was just because his partner loved it.
Like he said, though, he “hung onto you ‘cause I didn’t know better, I just felt like time was running out … I was so young and dumb.” For all the 20-somethings, do you also feel the weight of the world? Why is the success of our personal lives judged side by side with the success of our love lives? Sometimes young love strikes in frantic moments, and that’s why we settle for less.
“STRANGERS” shows the grief and anger before realizing it’s time to move on. I’m sure you’ve also found yourself thinking, “how’d we go from I love you, to how you been?” about someone you thought would be in your life forever.
“NUMB” has that same beautiful instrumental and complementary background vocals. It’s about hitting that rock bottom feeling after a breakup, when you think there’s no coming back from the pain. You “don’t even feel, don’t even fight, don’t know the days and I don’t know the nights.” This in combination with the fact that he’s “running out of things I want ever since she took my love” is like twisting the knife. “NUMB” ties up the theme of not knowing who you are outside of a relationship.
“I CAN TELL” flips emotions. It’s a profession of love for someone in a relationship. He knows he can treat them better in every way and “if you let me, I’ma take his place.” This part of the album starts to show toxic themes. “I CAN TELL” is messy and destructive, while “DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN” is emotional and manipulative.
“DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN” is about a connection that just won’t fizz out – because he won’t let it. Giveon uses what this person loves against them to reel them back in. Every time, he’s just going to trade “diamonds for your pain, that’s a beautiful exchange.”
“KEEPER” shows his growth. He’s not the best, but he wants to work for another chance with this person. He’s “tryna be the one that you keep, not just the one who comes back around and drives you crazy.”
“SIX:THIRTY” is just 32 seconds, and I’m a fan of interlude types of songs in albums. It’s a nice buffer between tracks while serving as a palate cleanser in between Giveon’s second chance love story in “KEEPER” and his epiphany in “BACKUP PLAN.”
Now, dare I say “BACKUP PLAN” is the other side of “I CAN TELL” in a way? This is what it’s like to realize your significant other is checked out of the relationship. Giveon said they “used to fight a little longer, now you choose silence over war,” which shows clear as day that things aren’t going to end well.
“BLEEDING” is another ballad about putting someone before you. In a desperate effort to make a connection work, Giveon’s putting the pieces back together of this girl who’s still hung up on her ex, hurting himself in the process. He’s literally bleeding for her love, and it’s not going so well.
Things change in “DON’T LEAVE.” Rather than putting all his energy into someone reluctant to replenish with him, Giveon fights for a strong connection that doesn’t want things to end either.
The theme of being better for someone better continues in “AVALANCHE,” one of my favorites by far. Giveon’s feeling butterflies while realizing this is the only girl he needs; he’s “falling hard, and falling for you” after “long calls, playing songs we both love.” It really is just the simple moments. Music is a love language in itself, of course.
Speaking of love languages, the last track hits on there being more to a relationship than physical attraction. Like Giveon said, there’s the “GOOD BAD UGLY.” He worries about his relationship, wondering if the commitment is still mutual. Even though he’s wondering if it’s time to leave, he remembers being loved through the good, bad and ugly, and how it’s important to reciprocate that.
For his second studio album, Giveon can give himself a pat on the back. He’s placing his name at the top of R&B’s resurgence while fine tuning his own craft along the way. “MUD,” “STRANGERS” and “AVALANCHE” will live on my playlists for a long time, but I can’t not mention leading singles “RATHER BE” and “TWENTIES.” Every track in “BELOVED” has a different take on common storylines in modern romance, from the young and naive to the mature and yearning.
