Popcaan Keeps It Chill In "Forever"

Modern dancehall is a genre that's quite easy to take at face value. If you're not from the Caribbean, chances are you won't truly understand the vocals anyway, which allows for the vibe to settle in. Unfortunately, sometimes that vibe stagnates. Popcaan keeps it chill in Forever, but doesn't keep the vibe strong enough to justify the hour-long record.

Forever starts off well, for what it's worth. The chill vibe of 'Silence' brings in the record nicely, getting that nice reggae-pop mixture going in a tasteful way. 'Call For Me' follows up similarly, keeping up the generally same vibe but not annoyingly. It's at that point where you start asking questions. 'Wine For Me' is just questionable right off the bat ("Pretty likkle black skin girl / Pretty likkle light skin girl" doesn't quite vibe the same way outside of the genre, it seems), and the vibe really starts to stale from there. It really feels like every song is the same from that point on, and some of the lyrics just seem so blatant and without merit that it's even just awkward at times, such as the second verse of 'Naked' which so nicely chants "When you hold me cocky and lick it / Your pussy tight, bruise the cocky and chip it."

A large part of Forever is forgettable, which is unfortunate for an album that's almost an hour long. The entire core of the record isn't memorable because the sounds are all the same; there's no difference between songs. Only the questionable lyrics really pop out. It's not until the end of the record where there seems to be some hope, which is unfortunately far too late to really salvage anything. 'Through The Storm' is a sweet song, its chill riffs and more genuine lyrics really adding a new heart to the album. 'Firm and Strong' has a gospel choir backing it that continues to add a new life into it, before final track 'A Wha Suh' has this uplifting quality to it. If more songs has variety like this, Forever wouldn't have been such a wreck. An alright beginning, forgettable majority, and good ending isn't a good standing for an hour long album.

Popcaan keeps it chill in Forever, but fails to diversify the record to make for a nice listen. An hour long record needs variety to really keep the listeners engaged; you've heard the entire record after you've heard the first two songs here.

Favorite Track: Through The Storm

Least Favorite Tracks: Naked, Body So Good, Foreign Love

Rating: 41 / 100

Stream or buy Forever on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: