Shay Amour "No Distractions" EP Review

Well, I didn’t think I’d be reviewing this, but let’s take a look at the new EP from Shay Amour, titled “No Distractions.” Shay Amour went to the same high school as me in her freshman and sophomore years (I was a junior and a senior in those years), and I’ll be completely honest, we never spoke a word to each other. However, I heard her sing more times than I can count and was always blown away by her voice. I just found out through Instagram that she released a new EP, and I wanted to give it a quick look, just to see if she sounded as good here as she did before. So, let’s go song-by-song and see what we’ve got here!

T.B.H.: I’m not even gonna lie here, I’m hearing Shay on this track and you know what I hear? The next Beyoncé/Rihanna. Vocally, she shows poise far beyond her age, and beyond that, the hook is really catchy and the beat is extremely fun. I had no idea what to expect going into this track, but it’s really enjoyable!

Supernatural: This track starts off a lot darker than the last one, and it’s a lot slower overall. Still, Shay’s vocal talents are on full display here, the hook is pretty catchy, and her flow is really fun on the verses. Really eerie, really great track overall.

No Distractions: The title track of this EP takes things back to a more bright, upbeat sound, and the hook and general instrumental melody on this track is very reminiscent of “Cold Water” by Major Lazer and Justin Bieber. Sonically, it’s head-nodding stuff, the hook is pretty fun, and Shay once again reinforces that she’s an incredible vocalist. Extremely fun, upbeat track overall.

Tell Me: Keeping things really upbeat on this one, Shay’s incredible vocals are hard to resist on this track, the beat is wonderfully snappy, and the hook on this track is probably one of the best this EP has to offer. The production on this track, as a whole, is really strong, and I think this has the potential to become a replay-button breaker for me.

They Wanna Know: Shay relies more on her rapping abilities on this track, and thankfully, her flow is really great. The song feels a bit more minimalist than before, in that it relies a bit more on the instrumental, but the beat is one of the best on the EP, and I still feel like Shay’s vocals indicate that we’re hearing a Rihanna/Beyoncé in the making. And I’m not talking about “a copycat” of those two, I think we’re hearing a singer that could be as big (and as good) as those two.

Sweet Dreams Zzzz: The hook on this track feels a bit mumble rap-esque, but it’s still really charming and fun, and Shay still finds opportunities in this song to show off her wonderful voice. Once again, the song feels a bit more minimalist than earlier tracks, but there’s a really strong instrumental behind this, and the beat is really catchy and really fun. A really rock-solid end to this EP.

Overall, Shay Amour’s first EP is really great stuff. At just (seventeen?) years old, Shay shows that she is well beyond her years, and despite the EP’s short length, there’s more than enough room for her to show that she is a vocal powerhouse. On top of that, the tracks feel like they’re really well-organized, and the production indicates there is an extreme amount of passion on the project. Even despite her “indie” status, the EP feels very professional and well-crafted, and it shows us that the potential for stardom is there. I’ll tell you this much, it’s really difficult to reach the level of modern-day stars like Beyoncé and Rihanna: to get to that level, you have to be really good. Even at such a young age, I think Shay is more than capable of reaching that level because she’s good. Really good.

Keep it up, Shay. I’m rooting for ya.

Favorite tracks: T.B.H., Tell Me, They Wanna Know

Least favorite tracks: None of them really

Rating: Excellent