J-Soul is the Canadian R&B artist known primarily for his slow jam prowess. Having already crafted some bedroom staples in his blossoming career, the singer is kicking things up another notch with his L.I.S.A mixtape. Made up of seven tracks included the previously released "RNB N***a," J-Soul should please his existing fan base with this work, while also converting some previously uninitiated fans, more than likely of the female persuasion.
With smooth vibes that bring in both soulful trap influences, J is in peak form on more than one of the songs included on this tape. From the sped-up delivery of "Close Your Eyes" to the raw emotion of "Medicine," the artist recalls work from the likes of Bryson Tiller and others who have managed to fuse together the booming, bass-heavy production with crooner-type vocals. There's also a raw emotional component to L.I.S.A that makes the proceedings seem far more intimate and personal, tapping into some of J-Soul's real-world experiences and struggles. Like the best entries on his catalog, he doesn't stray too far from the vibes that made him a crossover success with tracks like "Slow Wine," melding his person as a ladies man with a certain amount of vulnerability behind those eyes. He may not be perfect, but the seductive nature of this release is some of the strongest production he's had behind him in some time.
What will be interesting to observe is to see where J-Soul goes from here. With the seeming overload of R&B talent that is coming out of Toronto, Canada right now, with the likes of dvsn and PARTYNEXTDOOR helping shape the OVO sound into a global powerhouse, it's easy for some to think that J will get lost in the shuffle as a result. The answer to that conundrum, for some anyways, has been to put out incredibly lengthy studio projects (Chris Brown anyone?) to help boost their streaming numbers. However, there's still a faction of hip-hop and R&B fans who value quality over quantity and, although perhaps on the shorter side by today's standards, the length of the mixtape doesn't deter from L.I.S.A's quality in any way.