Majid Jordan – "A Place Like This"

"A Place Like This" is the first real song we've heard from OVO Sound artists Majid Jordan aside from "Hold On We're Going Home." The thing about "Hold On" is that it was musically very different from anything Drake had done* and pretty unexpected for rap or pop radio. The song is pretty percussion-heavy, and the synths are the loudest element in the mix. They drown out even Drake's vocals (probably not the worst idea) with the song instead featuring floating vocals by a singer that could actually hit the high notes Drake wouldn't even pretend to try.

Most artists linked to Drake and OVO have kept a very low profile, but we literally knew nothing about Majid Jordan. It turns out it's two guys: a singer (Majid) and a producer (Jordan). I respect them staying quiet and developing their sound for the last year and change, but I'm a little perplexed that this is how they introduce themselves to the world. The beat to "A Place Like This" is this Shlohmo/Flying Lotus/SBTRKT variant. Yes, there's a fan base for this sound, but I just figured the playing field for it was already pretty crowded.

Now the song is pretty enjoyable. But there's part of me that can't help but think it's only significant because it's somehow related to Drake. Like, what makes this different from any other minimal dance track with reverbed vocals. You could have replaced the lead vocal with an Aaliyah acapella, and this would be no different from the thousands of remixes on Soundcloud. I like "Latch" but Disclosure was basically a Pitchfork post away from being elevator music. But, again, this song is definitely enjoyable and you can't take that away from them. I hope the rest of their EP demonstrates more of their musical abilities and Majid's vocal ones.

*Yes, "Find Your Love" was all singing. And, in retrospect, the song is actually great (minus that awful hook) and, I imagine, would sound incredible on a dance floor. But there's something a little bit more accessible both thematically and musically about "Hold On, We're Going Home".