RyattFienix releases her debut album – Ryse of the Fienix.
RyattFienix (pronounced Riot Phoenix) is twenty-five years old with the defiance and angst of a teenager. Both her musical style and artist image mix a rockish, sassy attitude with dark, avant garde flair that could easily cast her as the love child of P!nk and Rihanna. Ryse of the Fienix tells a clear story of the despair, self-destruction, and rebirth spawned by a failed relationship, beginning with the self-medicating anthem “Down.”
RyattFienix has a dazzling, flexible R&B voice, with a hint of style that’s all her own. While the production of her debut album has all the technical appeal to tantalize earbuds, some of the sounds feel more processed than raw. There are gems though: one awesome single is “I Ain’t Complaining,” which features wronged-woman sass set to a stop-start groove so bling-bling it redeems a whiny chorus that ends, “But in the morning imma hate myself.” Beyond that, however, every melismatic groan, every clipped harmony, every Timbaland-esque beat, every synth setting is copped from some R&B hit of the past few years. What saves her from becoming mundane is an arsenal of explosive lyrical content.
Ryse of the Fienix has such unique yet relatable lyrics you can tell at once the artist put her own personality and experiences in each song. In “808,” Ryatt sings about looking for someone to feel her body like an 808. “Rebound” is brazenly direct confessional to the boytoy she uses to avoid the pain of her past relationship.
You can’t fix it, You can’t make it right
But you can get me through the night
You’re the rebound!!
With her riveting content and an attitude to match, this album is an exhilarating deviation from the syrupy pop fare making rounds on the airwaves. Any girl can relate to Ryatt’s lyrics and style of music. Ryse of the Fienix has love songs and broken-hearted songs. With a well-balanced blend of attitude and feeling, RyattFienix emits a sort of vulnerable power to women everywhere.
The single “UGLY,” is likely one of the least eloquent showcases of Ryatt’s big voice, but the song is poppy and pleasant and seems destined for the top 40. In fact, part of the confidence she has is displayed in her words.
I don’t wanna be a good girl
And I’ve never met a good guy
I ain’t never had that good love
All I’ve ever had was good bye
Don’t know why I love them bad boys
All they ever are is bad news
Got me trippin like a bad fuse
I’ve seen the good, the bad, the U.G.L.Y.
The songs chosen for her first album back this up. Tracks like “Love Struck Suicide,” “Throw Away The Key,” and “Regrettably Yours,” all make a pretty strong statement about the journey this singer’s heart has had. Ryatt herself gives insight to that journey in a message to her fans: “I packed up and left everything and everyone I ever knew behind me, and moved to ATL to pursue [a] music career. I moved alone, no place to live. […] During that time, I experienced the darkest, most testing, painful time in my life, and these songs are the result. I poured myself onto my keyboard and into my notepad. I cried so much. I drank so much. I contemplated life and death. I survived. I found the light. And this music was the way…there is no other way to describe this album.”
Ryse of the Fienix is a strong debut. From the Motown caress of “Give And Take,” to her strong soprano trill on “Don’t Be Shy,” RyattFienix exhibits an impressive range of vocal skills and content. While her music doesn’t come off as particularly innovative, she contributes quality tracks to the catalogue of pop/rock sensations of yore. Her album may be formulaic, but if it’s a formula for success then who really cares? At the end of its playlist, Ryse of the Fienix is a memorable album with all of the right licks to mark the beginning of a promising career.
Stream the album below.
Syed Mikhail Hussain is fan of all things NYC and Hip Hop. Winner of the sperm race back in ’89. Follow him on Instagram or Twitter at @swishthis.
