Yung Bleu “TANTRA” Album Review

TANTRA

Yung Bleu

• Genre: R&B/Soul
• Date: 11 Nov, 2022
• Content: explicit
• Region: USA
• Track(s): 17
• ℗ 2022 Moon Boy University / EMPIRE

With the release of “TANTRA,” Yung Bleu has made a comeback. The new record has 17 tracks and features Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Zayn Malik, Ty Dolla $ign, Five Foreign, Kelly Rowland, and Lucky Daye. By taking listeners through his growth as a musician, songwriter, and producer, Yung Bleu’s much anticipated “TANTRA”  album reveals all of the artist’s facets. It helps his fans realize how he developed from the sound on Yung Bleu to the more sophisticated sound on his most current album.

“TANTRA” is a superb example of Yung Bleu’s ability to blend his emotive singing with hard-hitting raps. The album is full of rhythmic melodies, sympathetic language, and standout production. Theme-driven and eclectic, “TANTRA” speaks to Yung Bleu’s development, upward direction, and undeniable songwriting prowess.

Album Cover Art

Taking inspiration from his last project, “Moon Boy,” Bleu is draped in a complete astronaut space outfit as he sits on a brown sofa found in the middle of a tarred road situated in the middle of nowhere. In the sky, a large moon hangs above his head while the mountainous landscape and a couple of birds fill the background.

Tracks and Features

The 17-track album opens with “Don’t Forget Me” and Bleu’s amazing vocals come in after a stringy chords intro. The vocalist tries to paint a vivid picture of a lover fighting a mental battle and asking his significant other “not to forget” him. Then comes “One Of Those Nights” featuring Fivio foreign. The Trap-type beat is really smooth and the vocalizations on the track are sublime. Besides all the slick talk, the piano chords and hard percussions in the background help to carry the track well.

Zayn gets invited to light the “Fire Inside.” The Pop upbeat tempo track is incredibly composed as the two vocal heavyweights beautifully deliver their verses and chorus respectively, making this track one of the best on the album. The duo paint the picture of a lover who totally captures their hearts and keeps them longing for more. Nicki Minaj and Bleu collaborate on “Love in The Way” and the AfroR&B/Pop feel of the track is unmistakable as Nicki’s rapping in the first few seconds of the track, which comes through just after the background vocals intro, sets the mood for the whole track and Bleu’s very expressive and impeccable rendition.

“Freak Freak” features the delectable Kelly Rowland. This R&B track deserves all the credit it can get though it comes with an accompanying large amount of sexually explicit content in its lyrics. The delivery is very top notch, regardless. French Montana is featured on “Life Worth Living” and the Trap-type beat is smooth and the background vocals, that continue throughout the track, complement the renditions of French and Bleu excellently. Taking out all the slick talk, the duo talk a bit about their personal lives and the accompanying struggles. Lucky Daye on “Your Love is Dangerous” is a great business choice. The R&B-type beat used on track is well-arranged and the composition is impressive.

The rap OG, Lil Wayne, jumps on “Soul Child,” where he delivers in terrific fashion. Weezy F. Baby style. There’s some slick talk in the mix which really doesn’t come as a surprise. That aside, the talented musicians also talk about resilience, telling stories that the listener may be able to relate to especially as it involves life in the streets. The track arrangement is superb and the background vocals that made appearances at the intro and outro is the cherry on the cake for this track. Ty Dolla $ign shows up with the grown, sexy vibe on “Feel It Inside.” Though the lyrics are crawling with sexually explicit content, the track is a wonderful listen and will get you in the mood. Closing the album with a Ne-Yo feature on “Walk Through the Fire,” the ballad-type beat have the duo sonorously sing about themes of love, relationship, care, passion, truth and affection. The instrumentals, the background vocals and the general track composition as well as Ne-Yo’s silky vocals gives this project the perfect ending.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	ARTIST	TIME
1	Don’t Forget Me	Yung Bleu	3:07
2	What Type of Games	Yung Bleu	3:03
3	One Of Those Nights	Yung Bleu & Fivio Foreign	4:34
4	Fire Inside	Yung Bleu & ZAYN	2:26
5	Fuck Her Face	Yung Bleu	2:32
6	The Real Side	Yung Bleu	3:06
7	Love In The Way	Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj	3:41
8	Freak Freak	Yung Bleu & Kelly Rowland	3:23
9	Life Worth Living	Yung Bleu & French Montana	3:01
10	Rich Killaz	Yung Bleu	2:43
11	Bad Lil Vibe	Yung Bleu	2:59
12	Your Love Is Dangerous	Yung Bleu & Lucky Daye	2:49
13	Soul Child (feat. Lil Wayne)	Yung Bleu	3:02
14	No Good Decisions	Yung Bleu	3:39
15	Feel It Inside (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)	Yung Bleu	2:58
16	Hard To Find	Yung Bleu	2:16
17	Walk Through The Fire (feat. Ne-Yo)	Yung Bleu	3:19

Album Theme

The theme of the album focuses on relationships and introspection a lot. The title of this project must be a pleasant coincidence if it wasn’t purposefully chosen because tantra itself encompasses notions about spirit, consciousness, and sex. He also does a fantastic job of highlighting his love life just as much as his come-up and street ties.

Production Credits

Producers on the new album include 22CARTEL, Adam Korbesmeyer, Al Geno, Ayo Awosika, CC On The Track, David Keiffer Johnston, Dnny Phntm, Dson Beats and a good number of other talented music producers.