Райан Битти выпустил новый альбом «Sweet Fortune» с участием Клэйро

Ryan Beatty has been everywhere throughout his career. He’s written songs with BROCKHAMPTON, provided backup vocals for Tyler, The Creator and toured with Noah Kahan. He’s also released solo albums, debuting with his 2018 “Boy in Jeans” — my introduction to Beatty. Needless to say, the 30-year-old California-based singer-songwriter has thoroughly immersed himself in the industry. Beatty’s latest album “Sweet Fortune,” released June 26, is one of the coolest projects I’ve heard this year. Its emotional depth and raw lyricism ground a tracklist that isn’t afraid to take risks, bending genres and testing out instrumental combinations. What the album lacks in uniformity, it makes up for in creativity. Indie pop artist Clairo heavily contributed to the album, and I’m not complaining. With songwriting credits on two tracks and vocal features on three, her signature softness and dreamy stylings shine through. The highlight of Beatty and Clairo’s collaboration is the album’s titular track. Heartaching lines like “Believe in me / My soil for your seed / Yes, sir, no siege / I’m surrendered to your keep” combined with the artists’ gorgeous harmonies brought tears to my eyes on first listen. Thematically, the song encapsulates a core message from the album: struggling to express devotion amid vulnerability. Other tracks lean into country music influence — after all, Beatty co-wrote four songs on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.” “Virtuoso,” the album’s first hint of country, was definitely a tonal shift, but not an unwelcome one. Beatty has clearly become well versed in the genre’s modern iteration, and the production created a sonically satisfying blend of instrumentals, including mandolin, banjo and pedal steel guitar. Beatty experiments instrumentally across the album. The second track, a bedroom pop song titled “White Lightning,” pleasantly surprised me by featuring saxophone and harmonica in its second half. It wouldn’t be the last unexpected choice of an accompaniment or solo, which left me both impressed and wondering how long Beatty and his team spent finding musicians. Still, I wish “Sweet Fortune” flowed more cohesively. The songs range in genre from bedroom pop to country to ballads, and the transitions are a bit jarring at times. I struggled to imagine the ideal occasion to listen to the album front to back, though its overarching lyrical themes of emotional intimacy call for a similarly intimate setting. Ultimately, I would rather Beatty follow his gut creatively and explore different sounds than stick to a cookie-cutter formula. Having a unique artistic voice is rare, and Beatty seems willing to use his voice rather than confine to industry pressures or precedents. Music lovers like myself are lucky to have innovators like him leading the way for a new generation of sound. I’m going to keep “Sweet Fortune” in my pocket for the next time I want a soundtrack for laying in my bed and feeling deep emotions. Email: [email protected] Related Stories: — Liner Notes: Sublime’s ‘Until The Sun Explodes’ revives the group’s SoCal sound 30 years later — Liner Notes: ‘Do That Again’ is Malcolm Todd’s indie ‘Hot Girl Summer’