Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The relationship between musicians that collaborate is undeniable and hard to ignore even in the most cursory examinations of history, and we’re reminded of this quite frequently in the new single “Take You Home” from Saynt Jaysn featuring Jônelle. Built like a top-heavy pop track but given enough breadth in its bass/synth assault to satisfy fans of more hip-hop-leaning sounds as well, “Take You Home” is a battle cry against boredom that feels like an extension of the summer season that just ended.
Much like the provocative music video indicates, this is personal, and it’s showing us a side of Saynt Jaysn that I want to hear more of soon.
I like the heavy use of the harmonies to set up the foundation for the chorus, but at the same time, I don’t even know that my man needed to put as much into the back half of the mix as he did. There’s already so much venom coming off of his lead that the instrumentation has a hard time keeping up with the prowess of the verses on a couple of different occasions; now, if this was intentional on his part, I can completely understand his desire to spotlight swagger with organic elements.
The bassline here has a really good swing that left me immediately wanting to play the whole song over again, and by making the rhythm as big and inviting a component of the hook as anything Jônelle’s vocal or the melodic instruments could muster would be, there’s no disputing the multidimensionality of “Take You Home” from all angles. Compositionally speaking, I get the impression that this was an important piece for Saynt Jaysn in terms of re-establishing himself as a progressive songwriter. He holds nothing back and refutes the very notion of recycling old school faceting in this recording, which is more than I can say for some of his contemporaries across Canada.
These lyrics come at us hot and heavy, but they play out evenly thanks to the smooth delivery Jônelle has from the get-go. She’s never caught off guard here; on the contrary, I think that the level of confidence she’s bringing into the studio with Saynt Jaysn is something that a lot of other players should aspire to acquire on their own, legitimately. This is a pair putting some mojo into the substance of the narrative as opposed to the production style exclusively, and that alone makes both of them a winning combination in my book.
A striking introduction to his sound for those who are unaware of the music he’s been making, there’s no need to argue: Saynt Jaysn’s “Take You Home” is worth your time this September. In telling stories of romance, Saynt Jaysn has yet to disappoint in giving us as much emotion as he does moxie from behind the microphone, and I have to personally say this is one of his best cuts to see widespread release thus far. His partner Jônelle is a worthy equal in more ways than one, and I hope to hear them play together again in the future.
Savannah Renfro
