Light of Mine is KYLE's third full-length project and his debut studio album. KYLE has made a name for himself in music in the past few years. His single "iSpy" with Lil Yachty became a smash hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landing at No. 28 on the 2017 year-end chart. In 2017, he was also named a XXL Freshman. Since XXL, however, he hasn't been able to generate any hits. I see a lot of talent in KYLE, and even though I think he can be corny and groan-worthy at times, he has a unique personality that rap needs.
Positives
There are many good things to talk about when it comes to Light of Mine. There's an over-arching story between the tracks where Lil Yachty plays KYLE's conscience, and it's pretty funny. While I'm used to KYLE putting out these bubbly, happy tracks, he goes at a more serious angle here. Songs like "To the Moon" and the intro track "Ups & Downs" take a lot of influence from Kid Cudi. It's always nice to hear artists try a different style or convey a different emotion as their career progresses. Speaking of progressing, KYLE's singing and rapping have greatly improved on this album. I'd also like to add that the production on Light of Mine is by far the best he's worked with.
Negatives
The shortcomings of Light of Mine don't necessarily bring the album down but aren't minor enough to overlook. While this album is less corny than his previous project, Smyle, there are still some groan-worthy moments like the awards show speech in the second half of "It's Yours." And while I do believe that KYLE's singing isn't bad, the autotune can sound annoying at times. He also needs to work on his hooks which bring down the quality of tracks like "To the Moon" and "Rodeo."
So how were the features?
KYLE featured 8 different artists on Light of Mine, mostly from pop singers.
1) Take 6 (Coming, Going?) - I didn't care for this track, but I thought their background vocals were decent.
Verdict: Ehhhh
2) 2 Chainz (Ikuyo) - "Ikuyo" is just another great feature 2 Chainz can add to his resume.
Verdict: Liked
3) Sophia Black (Ikuyo) - She delivers a great chorus here. When I first heard it, I thought it was pretty annoying, but had grown on me throughout, and now I can't get it out of my head.
Verdict: Liked
4) Alessia Cara (Babies) - I'm not too crazy about Alessia Cara, but her singing is pretty nice here.
Verdict: Liked
5) Avery Wilson (OpenDoors) - He's credited for background vocals, and they sounded pretty good on this song.
Verdict: Liked
6) Kehlani (Playinwitme) - She wasn't necessary, but she didn't ruin the track. I'm indifferent about her contribution.
Verdict: Ehhhh
7) Khalid (iMissMe) - I love hearing Khalid sing. I got what I expected from him on this track.
Verdict: Liked
8) Lil Yachty (iSpy) - I think his verse is the highlight of the song. Aside from the weird nutsack line, his verse is very humorous and fun.
Verdict: Liked
So how were the singles?
KYLE released 4 singles before this album's release, including one that was supposed to be a throwaway.
1) iSpy (feat. Lil Yachty) - You've probably heard this song by now, even if you don't listen to KYLE. I could understand why he put the song on Light of Mine, even though he mentions in the song that it's just a throwaway. While the real reason is probably to boost streams, I think it goes very well with the over-arching story of Lil Yachty as his conscience. Since Yachty gives KYLE some advice in the intro. I'd say it makes sense to include it here. As for the song itself, I love it. The beat gives off a nice summery vibe, and Lil Yachty delivers one of his best features.
Verdict: Liked
2) To the Moon - I thought the instrumental sounded very nice and the verses weren't too bad. What brings the song down is the annoying hook and autotune. There's a lot of influence from Kid Cudi on this track that you can tell from KYLE's humming. I don't think this is a good song.
Verdict: Disliked
3) Playinwitme (feat. Kehlani) - This single was an improvement after "To the Moon," as the hook sounds way better here. However, it's just an average track that screams "I want radio stations to play this." There's nothing wrong with putting out a song for radio plays, but this song seemed very obvious about it. I thought Kehlani's contribution was okay but forgettable.
Verdict: Ehhhh
4) Ikuyo (feat. 2 Chainz x Sophia Black) - This is easily the best of the four singles. As I mentioned in my previous single reviews post, the beat is great, Sophia Black's chorus is an earworm, and 2 Chainz delivers a great feature like always. "Ikuyo" is what made me give this project a chance.
Verdict: Liked
Favorite Tracks
1) Games - This song is an absolute banger. The retro arcade game style production fits the song title and KYLE's personality. It's impossible to sit still while this song is playing. It's easily my favorite track on the entire album, and it's a shame that it's only two minutes.
2) OpenDoors (feat. Avery Wilson) - In this song, KYLE opens up about his troubles with women. It shows that KYLE isn't just a happy-go-lucky artist and isn't afraid to be emotional and introspective. In addition, Avery Wilson provides some nice-sounding background vocals.
3) iMissMe (feat. Khalid) - The song sounds pretty funky, and it fits the styles of KYLE and Khalid very well. Khalid's singing sounds amazing over this production.
Least Favorite Track
It's Yours was probably the low point of the album. The song was four minutes long, and KYLE barely rapped or sang on it. The majority of this track was some groan-worthy award acceptance speech about proving his doubters wrong. You could at least rap about proving your doubters wrong.
Conclusion
This album is my favorite from KYLE and made me a fan. The production, rapping, and singing have improved tremendously, and he has nowhere to go but up.
Score: 4/5
There's quite a bit to enjoy from Light of Mine. I think this is easily KYLE's best project, miles ahead of Smyle and Beautiful Loser.
This concludes my third review. My next review will be of NAV's latest project "Reckless." which will be out by tomorrow.
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