{"id":33878,"date":"2022-05-17T19:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T19:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/featured\/dont-trip-on-ella-mais-heart-on-my-sleeve-2\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T21:23:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T21:23:04","slug":"dont-trip-on-ella-mais-heart-on-my-sleeve-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/culture\/dont-trip-on-ella-mais-heart-on-my-sleeve-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t ‘Trip’ on Ella Mai’s ‘Heart On My Sleeve’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer 2022 is already kicking off with hot new music for listeners of R&B and hip hop. On May 6, Ella Mai dropped her second album, Heart On My Sleeve.<\/em> It\u2019s receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, who praise her for avoiding the dreaded \u201csophomore slump,\u201d an unsuccessful second album following an artist\u2019s hit debut album.<\/p>\n

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Jonathan Mannion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The English R&B songstress, who is known for previous hits such as \u201cTrip\u201d and \u201cBoo\u2019d Up,\u201d first announced the project on March 28 via Instagram<\/a>. Guest appearances include Latto, Roddy Ricch, and Lucky Daye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI poured my whole heart into this album, more so than ever before,\u201d Ella confessed. \u201cI am overly excited for this sophomore journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

As per usual on her recordings, Ella\u2019s vocal abilities are admirable on Heart On My Sleeve<\/em>. Her silky, rich tone slides effortlessly between low and high registers and delivers impressive melismas without distracting from the lyrical content of the songs.<\/p>\n

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Adrienne Raquel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 15-track album begins with the catchy, romantic \u201cTrying,\u201d on which Ella sings about catching feelings for a man who is trying hard to win her over. She doesn\u2019t hesitate to get vulnerable on \u201cNot Another Love Song,\u201d confessing, \u201cI don\u2019t wanna mess this up \/ Could it be too much to say I\u2019m in \/ Deep in, swimmin\u2019 in my feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atlanta rapper Latto<\/a> features with a painfully honest verse on the hip-hop ballad \u201cDidn\u2019t Say,\u201d exhibiting the power of collaborations between female R&B singers and female rappers. A couple tracks later, \u201cFallen Angel\u201d samples the slick beat from \u201cChunk Up the Deuce\u201d<\/a> by Lil\u2019 Keke and features a gospel choir in the song\u2019s outro singing, \u201cHow could you turn? \/ How could you switch it up on me?\u201d which flows seamlessly into the next song \u201cHow\u201d featuring California rapper Roddy Ricch.<\/p>\n

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Jonathan Mannion \/ Billboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The album’s lead single, “DFMU” (“Don’t F*** Me Up”), is another tender moment for Ella lyrically, as she expresses her insecurities and fears of getting hurt in a new relationship. However, “Hide” is a ballad that showcases a more hopeful perspective on love. While Ella acknowledges she has scars from previous heartbreaks, she feels surprisingly safe with her new romantic interest. “Who knew I’d ever find \/ So many feelings \/ Some I can’t mention \/ Who knew I’d find \/ A place to hide,” she sings gently. Ella’s warm, resonant low range is especially impressive on “Hide.”<\/p>\n

If there’s any major takeaway from Heart On My Sleeve<\/em>, it’s that vulnerable, powerful female artists like Ella Mai are running the R&B game right now – and there’s no sign of them stopping anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Listen below to Ella Mai’s Heart On My Sleeve.<\/em><\/p>\n