“K.T.S.E.” (short for “Keep That Same Energy”) is the second studio album from Harlem singer, actress, dancer, and model Teyana Taylor, who first broke out in 2010 when she joined up with Kanye West and provided some vocals for his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” and later ended up signing to Kanye’s GOOD Music label in 2012. She made her GOOD Music debut in 2012 on their compilation album “Cruel Summer,” but really hit it big in 2014 with the release of her debut album “VII,” a record that received very positive reviews, featured big artists like Chris Brown, Pusha T, Fabolous, and Yo Gotti, and essentially made her an R&B artist to watch for.
Now, admittedly, I know very little about Teyana as an artist, as I haven’t previously delved into her first album. In fact, I can’t lie, the whole reason I was drawn to this album is that it’s the final album in the Kanye West-produced “Wyoming Sessions” chronology. This chronology has been a hot one this Summer, with Pusha T’s “DAYTONA,” Kanye’s own “ye,” Kanye and Kid Cudi’s self-titled album as part of their new supergroup “KIDS SEE GHOSTS,” and Nas’s latest album “NASIR” all getting positive reviews, and this record right here is supposed to be the finisher to said chronology (oddly enough, while each previous record had 7 songs, this one has 8. Just thought that was worth mentioning). So, given that this is the finisher, let’s take a look and see if it’s a strong ending to the Wyoming Sessions.
No Manners: A very short intro song where Teyana talks about her love for her husband, as well as her desire to not become a “typical housewife,” I love the very moody, emotional keys on this cut, and I think Teyana’s flow on the hook is pretty solid. I think this song adds some nice substance to the album, but I feel like it’s just a little bit too short to leave a huge impression on me after one listen, and I think the short length of the song is partially why I don’t have much to say about it. All that said, it’s definitely got a great, eerie, moody vibe to it despite that short length.
Gotta Love Me: This one sees Teyana talking about getting through struggles with someone and still finding love with them. Man, with The Carters’ album and now this, love seems to be a prevailing theme in my recent reviews. Either way, this one has a very pretty guitar melody, a snappy click-clacking drum beat, and some very beautiful, smooth vocals from Teyana. As has been the case throughout most of the “Wyoming Sessions,” this one samples “I Gave To You” by The Delfonics, and Kanye does a great job with his sample-hunting here. I really enjoyed this track a lot!
Issues/Hold On: Here, Teyana urges her lover to hold on to her and to remind her of how much he loves her. It’s a somewhat slower, more swingy song with a pair of samples (“By Your Side” by Sade, and “I Do Love You” by Billy Stewart), but it’s got some really slick sonic elements, a really great bassline, and another really fun, click-clacking drum beat. And once again, Teyana shows some great vocal potential, as she sounds smooth and gorgeous here, and even though the chorus is very short, it’s really sticky and it reminds us that simplicity works well with a hook. Really strong, old-school vibe on this one, it’s definitely gonna break my replay button in the future.
Hurry (ft. Kanye West): A much more sexual song with the only credited feature on the record (a couple of the other songs have additional vocals, but no credited features), this one has a very plucky, head-noddy bassline, and Teyana’s vocals are soulful and interesting (she moans to end a verse, adding to the sexual feel of the song) and she even has some clever lyrics here (shoutout to the Jimmy Neutron reference, that’s one of my favorite cartoons). It’s another song with an old-school vibe, and Kanye also comes through with some really clever bars on his short verse here. I don’t think the hook is as sticky on this one, but nonetheless, it’s definitely an enjoyable cut.
3Way: Teyana explores her sexuality a bit here, as she talks about her willingness to engage in three-way sexual intercourse with her husband and another woman. It’s a somewhat more minimal song, with some very light synths in the background as Teyana’s vocals are front and center on this one. Fortunately, she shows us that she has the vocal fortitude to carry a song like this, with some gorgeous, very smooth runs throughout the song. And though he’s not a “featured artist,” the song has some vocals from Ty Dolla $ign (a very frequent feature on the “Wyoming Sessions”) and, as you’d expect, his vocals sound gorgeous as well. It’s pretty much the kind of track where, whether or not it succeeds comes down entirely to how well the vocalists sound on it, and fortunately, Teyana and Ty sound amazing on it, thus making this one of the better cuts on the album!
Rose In Harlem: Here, we see Teyana go a bit more introspective, as she talks about her upbringing in Harlem and the struggles that she faced trying to get out. This one takes things much more fast-paced than the last track, and Teyana sing-raps through the song over another click-clack drum beat and a sample of The Stylistics’ “Because I Love You Girl.” Her sing-rapping gives me some pretty solid Rihanna vibes, and her more emotional vocals on the hook throw me back to a lot of the R&B songs that I grew up with in the early 2000s. Once again, her vocals are somewhat front and center, but the instrumentals here are very luscious and soulful as well, and they mesh well with Teyana’s singing to make this a really strong track!
Never Would Have Made It: Something of a continuation of the last song, Teyana talks here about the people that helped teach her and allow her to think independently. The song has a very fast-paced, somewhat electronic drum beat, as Teyana showcases some very powerful vocals that carry very real emotional weight to them! The light piano melody is very gorgeous, and while producing a song with birds chirping might seem very unconventional, Kanye just has that way about him where he can produce a song with some unconventional sound and make it work, and no matter what anyone says about him as a person/singer/rapper, his top-class production is something you can’t take away from him. Really enjoyed this cut a lot!
WTP: “WTP,” for those unaware, does stand for “work that pussy.” This short outro to the album (or, at least the original version of it, because apparently, Teyana is planning to add new songs to the record) sees Teyana and Mykki Blanco explore sexuality and create something of an anthem. It’s a very loud, bouncy song built around a sample of Ellis D’s “Work This Pussy.” I like the very danceable, energetic instrumentals on this one, though I do wish Teyana had a slightly bigger presence on the track. Even still, she does sound great on it when she does appear, Mykki Blanco’s spoken interludes are definitely charismatic, and the song as a whole is too infectious and fun to pass on. Really dig this one, a very good end to the album.
Overall, if this is how Kanye’s ending off the “Wyoming Sessions” chronology, he definitely picked the right note to end on. Teyana Taylor’s latest album, at 8 tracks and 22 minutes, not only sees our lead singer in top form with gorgeous, emotional vocals and strong lyricism but also sees our producer (Kanye) in his usual form with strong sample-hunting and luscious production. It’s an album that moves in several different directions stylistically, with some more chilled, laid-back cuts along with some upbeat bangers, but at its core, it’s a very strong work from an artist (or two, if we’re talking about Teyana’s vocals and Kanye’s production) who clearly has a lot of respect and appreciation for old-school R&B and soul. I really think she is an artist worth watching for in the R&B scene, and I really hope that music fans, critics, and listeners give her a chance with this album because she’s putting out some really gorgeous stuff with this project. It’s a strong note to end off the “Wyoming Sessions” with, and I’d love to hear more out of Teyana in the future.
Oh, and I guess now that it’s “over,” I can give some thoughts about the “Wyoming Sessions” discography as a whole. Overall, I think Kanye and his team put out some really enjoyable projects with this series of albums. Sure, Pusha T’s “DAYTONA” may have been the first album to get my “Not For Me” rating, but I did think the album featured some solid bars and interesting production, and after giving it a repeat listen, I definitely did enjoy it a bit more (if enough people ask for it, I may write a “second opinion” on it at some point, we’ll see). Kanye’s own “ye” was a pleasant surprise with our artist taking a more focused, introspective approach, and “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” saw Kanye and Kid Cudi bringing out the best of each other in a collaboration that could’ve gone totally wrong. And then, Kanye chose to end off the series with not one, but TWO bangs thanks to Nas’s “NASIR” album, and of course this project right here from Teyana, so I think Kanye and GOOD Music did a pretty strong job with this chronology. Even with the media circuses and the daunting tasks of making strong albums under 30 minutes, I think Kanye and company will definitely look back at this discography and say, “man, that was a GOOD Summer.”
Favorite tracks: Gotta Love Me, Issues/Hold On, 3Way, Rose In Harlem, Never Would Have Made It, WTP
Least favorite tracks: Uhh…I thought they were all pretty good. Can I just not pick one? Okay, cool.
Rating: Excellent
No Manners: A very short intro song where Teyana talks about her love for her husband, as well as her desire to not become a “typical housewife,” I love the very moody, emotional keys on this cut, and I think Teyana’s flow on the hook is pretty solid. I think this song adds some nice substance to the album, but I feel like it’s just a little bit too short to leave a huge impression on me after one listen, and I think the short length of the song is partially why I don’t have much to say about it. All that said, it’s definitely got a great, eerie, moody vibe to it despite that short length.
Gotta Love Me: This one sees Teyana talking about getting through struggles with someone and still finding love with them. Man, with The Carters’ album and now this, love seems to be a prevailing theme in my recent reviews. Either way, this one has a very pretty guitar melody, a snappy click-clacking drum beat, and some very beautiful, smooth vocals from Teyana. As has been the case throughout most of the “Wyoming Sessions,” this one samples “I Gave To You” by The Delfonics, and Kanye does a great job with his sample-hunting here. I really enjoyed this track a lot!
Issues/Hold On: Here, Teyana urges her lover to hold on to her and to remind her of how much he loves her. It’s a somewhat slower, more swingy song with a pair of samples (“By Your Side” by Sade, and “I Do Love You” by Billy Stewart), but it’s got some really slick sonic elements, a really great bassline, and another really fun, click-clacking drum beat. And once again, Teyana shows some great vocal potential, as she sounds smooth and gorgeous here, and even though the chorus is very short, it’s really sticky and it reminds us that simplicity works well with a hook. Really strong, old-school vibe on this one, it’s definitely gonna break my replay button in the future.
Hurry (ft. Kanye West): A much more sexual song with the only credited feature on the record (a couple of the other songs have additional vocals, but no credited features), this one has a very plucky, head-noddy bassline, and Teyana’s vocals are soulful and interesting (she moans to end a verse, adding to the sexual feel of the song) and she even has some clever lyrics here (shoutout to the Jimmy Neutron reference, that’s one of my favorite cartoons). It’s another song with an old-school vibe, and Kanye also comes through with some really clever bars on his short verse here. I don’t think the hook is as sticky on this one, but nonetheless, it’s definitely an enjoyable cut.
3Way: Teyana explores her sexuality a bit here, as she talks about her willingness to engage in three-way sexual intercourse with her husband and another woman. It’s a somewhat more minimal song, with some very light synths in the background as Teyana’s vocals are front and center on this one. Fortunately, she shows us that she has the vocal fortitude to carry a song like this, with some gorgeous, very smooth runs throughout the song. And though he’s not a “featured artist,” the song has some vocals from Ty Dolla $ign (a very frequent feature on the “Wyoming Sessions”) and, as you’d expect, his vocals sound gorgeous as well. It’s pretty much the kind of track where, whether or not it succeeds comes down entirely to how well the vocalists sound on it, and fortunately, Teyana and Ty sound amazing on it, thus making this one of the better cuts on the album!
Rose In Harlem: Here, we see Teyana go a bit more introspective, as she talks about her upbringing in Harlem and the struggles that she faced trying to get out. This one takes things much more fast-paced than the last track, and Teyana sing-raps through the song over another click-clack drum beat and a sample of The Stylistics’ “Because I Love You Girl.” Her sing-rapping gives me some pretty solid Rihanna vibes, and her more emotional vocals on the hook throw me back to a lot of the R&B songs that I grew up with in the early 2000s. Once again, her vocals are somewhat front and center, but the instrumentals here are very luscious and soulful as well, and they mesh well with Teyana’s singing to make this a really strong track!
Never Would Have Made It: Something of a continuation of the last song, Teyana talks here about the people that helped teach her and allow her to think independently. The song has a very fast-paced, somewhat electronic drum beat, as Teyana showcases some very powerful vocals that carry very real emotional weight to them! The light piano melody is very gorgeous, and while producing a song with birds chirping might seem very unconventional, Kanye just has that way about him where he can produce a song with some unconventional sound and make it work, and no matter what anyone says about him as a person/singer/rapper, his top-class production is something you can’t take away from him. Really enjoyed this cut a lot!
WTP: “WTP,” for those unaware, does stand for “work that pussy.” This short outro to the album (or, at least the original version of it, because apparently, Teyana is planning to add new songs to the record) sees Teyana and Mykki Blanco explore sexuality and create something of an anthem. It’s a very loud, bouncy song built around a sample of Ellis D’s “Work This Pussy.” I like the very danceable, energetic instrumentals on this one, though I do wish Teyana had a slightly bigger presence on the track. Even still, she does sound great on it when she does appear, Mykki Blanco’s spoken interludes are definitely charismatic, and the song as a whole is too infectious and fun to pass on. Really dig this one, a very good end to the album.
Overall, if this is how Kanye’s ending off the “Wyoming Sessions” chronology, he definitely picked the right note to end on. Teyana Taylor’s latest album, at 8 tracks and 22 minutes, not only sees our lead singer in top form with gorgeous, emotional vocals and strong lyricism but also sees our producer (Kanye) in his usual form with strong sample-hunting and luscious production. It’s an album that moves in several different directions stylistically, with some more chilled, laid-back cuts along with some upbeat bangers, but at its core, it’s a very strong work from an artist (or two, if we’re talking about Teyana’s vocals and Kanye’s production) who clearly has a lot of respect and appreciation for old-school R&B and soul. I really think she is an artist worth watching for in the R&B scene, and I really hope that music fans, critics, and listeners give her a chance with this album because she’s putting out some really gorgeous stuff with this project. It’s a strong note to end off the “Wyoming Sessions” with, and I’d love to hear more out of Teyana in the future.
Oh, and I guess now that it’s “over,” I can give some thoughts about the “Wyoming Sessions” discography as a whole. Overall, I think Kanye and his team put out some really enjoyable projects with this series of albums. Sure, Pusha T’s “DAYTONA” may have been the first album to get my “Not For Me” rating, but I did think the album featured some solid bars and interesting production, and after giving it a repeat listen, I definitely did enjoy it a bit more (if enough people ask for it, I may write a “second opinion” on it at some point, we’ll see). Kanye’s own “ye” was a pleasant surprise with our artist taking a more focused, introspective approach, and “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” saw Kanye and Kid Cudi bringing out the best of each other in a collaboration that could’ve gone totally wrong. And then, Kanye chose to end off the series with not one, but TWO bangs thanks to Nas’s “NASIR” album, and of course this project right here from Teyana, so I think Kanye and GOOD Music did a pretty strong job with this chronology. Even with the media circuses and the daunting tasks of making strong albums under 30 minutes, I think Kanye and company will definitely look back at this discography and say, “man, that was a GOOD Summer.”
Favorite tracks: Gotta Love Me, Issues/Hold On, 3Way, Rose In Harlem, Never Would Have Made It, WTP
Least favorite tracks: Uhh…I thought they were all pretty good. Can I just not pick one? Okay, cool.
Rating: Excellent
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