Over the past several years, we have watched R&B singer H.E.R. grow more comfortable artistically, peeling off label after label to surprise fans and casual listeners alike. Now, we have reached a new level of H.E.R. where she’s exploring her sensuality.
On April 22, H.E.R. released her new single, “Come Through”, featuring legendary singer Chris Brown, teasing what’s to come in her debut, ‘Back Of My Mind’. “Come Through” is a more sensual departure from her usual songs, and an amazing departure at that.
When Brown initially announced he and H.E.R would have the “song of the summer”, I was excited. Their previous collaboration, “Come Together”, was one of my most played from his last album, so I was already pretty hyped at hearing they would work together again. I also loved H.E.R.’s last single, “Damage”, so there was a certain expectation of greatness going into it.
Shortly after she revealed the collaboration on Instagram, H.E.R. revealed a snippet of the song in a TikTok. At first, I thought this wasn’t anything new. H.E.R. has always had a hint of darkness surrounding her music, and this sounded similar. However, as I listened to the promoand revisited the cover art, I was a little shocked. I realized H.E.R. had this wet hair and bra on, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing her in. The sound wasn’t as dark as it was sensual. In the lead up to the release, I was wondering where she was going to take this single.
“Come Through” turned out to be going great places. The production and the vocals were amazing, and the overall essence of the song was incredible. I was thoroughly entertained and happy the song wasn’t overshadowed by its cover art.
Chris Brown was also a great addition to the song. He wasn’t overpowering, and it wasn’t the same song and dance people complain about Chris doing. I especially enjoyed the pre-chorus and the ending of the song, especially the lines, “You already got plans for the city / Call ’em off, could you call ’em off for me? / You’re always going on and on / Got it all, ask me why I’ll never leave I don’t go out much”. This is a sensual song with the potential to take over the R&B charts the way “Every Kind Of Way” should’ve.
I think that H.E.R. is on the right path when redefining her artistic profile. I say this because, I’m not going to lie, I thought H.E.R. was getting very repetitive and boring. Not to say that the songs were bad or even that they sounded the same. They just started to follow the same format, and those stylings were getting stale.
When she released “Slide”, it was like a sigh of relief. Finally, we got something with some groove to it. However, she went back to her signature sound almost immediately with her next few singles. Up until “Damage” dropped, I was worried about how ‘Back Of My Mind’ would sound, because, aside from her first two EPs, I find most of her work to be hit or miss.
But that’s changed. With “Damage” and now “Come Through” out, I have a renewed sense of confidence within ‘Back Of My Mind’. I am officially ready to hear whatever she’s going to do with this album, because H.E.R. is an all-around musician. She can write and sing very well, and has earned accolades most people her age couldn’t even fathom. She is easily one of the most respected voices of the R&B new class, and I can’t wait to hear what she’ll do with her debut.
