DVSN - Working On My Karma

When DVSN came out with their debut album Sept 5 in 2016 it didn’t take much for me to get hooked. In fact all it took was one rotation of the first single ‘Too Deep’ and then, with other tracks from the album like ‘Hallucinations’ and ‘Do It Well,’ I was sold. It was maybe my favorite debut of 2016, which was a strange year all together, with layoffs, unemployment and eventual new jobs. The laid back grooves of producer Nineteen85 and the somber crooning of Daniel Daley was a perfect fit for that moment and stood out nicely amongst a crowded group of other, similarly moody Alternative R&B artists. They solidified this status with their follow-up Morning After a year later, furthering their sensual sound and direct lyricism. It was clear they had stumbled upon a formula that worked and delivered in volumes.

Around the time of their third album, A Muse in Her Feelings (2020) I felt like they were making a move similar to what fellow OVO alum, The Weeknd, had made with his album Kiss Land, where they got swept up in the vibes and lost a bit of what I found so endearing with their first two albums. But here, after another year has passed, we have their fourth full release, Working On My Karma, and I’m happy to see that not only have the broken free of that vibe-prison, they have crafted some of their most affecting, boisterous, and, at times, thought provoking work to date.

As you listen to this album, the themes not only become clear right off the bat but they take a few twists and turns as you progress. You get early tracks like ‘Bring It’ and ‘If I Get Caught’ reveling in sexuality with as much candor and unapologetic bravado as could be mustered. The male led chorus on ‘If I Get Caught’ brings all its ‘fuck-boy’ energy to the front in a stomping thump of an anthem. Lyrically, such an outward admission and celebration of cheating would be a little gross to play on blast but it’s immediately followed up with the apologetic track ‘Stay Faithful’ where Daniel comes face to face with the guilt and regret of such an infidelity. Such a juxtaposition invites you into a space where everything is on the table and there aren’t going to be any easy answers.

I should've stayed faithful
Things that I think in the back of my mind
I swear that this time's gon' be the last time
Knowin' that I'm wrong, I say
I should've stayed faithful
This ain't even worth it, nothin' wrong with her
It's all my fault that I do her like this
She don't even know what I did, but

Other tracks further explore this idea of such as the astonishingly personal ‘Daniel’s Interlude’ where he sings about a relationship destroyed by a partner’s cheating and the chain reaction of similar behavior it spurned, as if getting back at a world that would break someone down so painfully. Similarly, we have the lush orchestration introducing another tale of infidelity in the album closer ‘Get Even,’ but this time Daniel is the ‘other man’ being used by his lover to get back at a man who cheated on her. You may be familiar with the phrase ‘hurt-people hurt people’ and here we get an in depth exploration of the concept of cheating from its rationalizations, its habitual occurrence, its destructive and its endlessly cyclical nature. It’s as bold, interesting and confessional as some moments from Kendrick’s Mr. Morale and continues a trend of self-reflection that many artists are, thankfully, pursuing these days. However, for all the self reflection and moral jumping jacks in the lyrics here and in tracks like ‘Tired’ the album not all as self serious and cynical as you would expect. Daniel’s sense of humor and clever turns of phrase shine in ways they were only hinted at before in tracks like the desperate, at times hilarious and ultimately respectful, ‘lonesome strip club attendant’ narrative in ‘Touch It.’ (This chorus alone would land this track comfortably into my coveted ‘Consent Slow-Jams’ list! Congrats on the win!)

Touch it, touch it, touch it
We don't need no privacy
Touch it, touch it
'Cause I can hear your body calling me
Touch it, touch it, touch it
Let me know if I ain't supposed to
Touch it, touch it
'Cause you make me wanna put my hands all over you

Monday night has come, we're all here at Magic
Looking for the one
I've got lemon pepper wings
And some Casamigos
But it's you I want

For as much as the themes a lyrics hold your attention instrumentally this is also one of DVSN’s boldest releases to date, with Nineteen85 digging deep into his sample collection for tracks like the kicking opener ‘Last Time,’ the chopped up dialogue of ‘If I Get Caught’ and classic Manhanttan’s (1974) infused chorus of ‘Don’t Take Your Love.’ I mentioned in the first paragraph that A Muse in Her Feelings left me drowning in the vibes to the point where I lost focus, but right off the jump this album caught my ear with its fresh, bold sound, and DVSN stretching their wings into a much more bombastic sound in the beginning then settling down for the more self reflective tracks towards the albums end. Every track has a distinct personality and they all congregate together comfortably to give us groove after groove that rewards with each repeated listen.

He might buss you down, take you on dinner
Fly you out of town and have you swervin' in a rental
But, uh, you amazin', you ain't even phased
You need more than sunrays and the praise, got 'em
On call, got 'em on call
Here's a problem that you ain't never solved
Everybody see you lookin' all pretty
Might be the baddest thing in the city, but (I need you)

Ooh (ooh)
When's the last time somebody told you that they loved you
And meant it? (That's all, girl, I need you)
Ooh (ooh)
When's the last time a nigga told you that he mean to
And you felt it?

I’m happy to see DVSN expanding their sound pallet with Working On My Karma and bringing something new to the table, and while its not going to break any new ground in the Alt-R&B landscape it fills it with the necessary flowers to keep it flourishing and growing into one of the most diverse and expansive genres right now. While I know there has to be a pretty solid fanbase for the group out there I think the public at large are really sleeping on what DVSN is doing, and missing out on some really solid and at times brutally honest music.