D’Antré: “Honestly” – working to innovate and explore

D’Antré is a genre-bending artist from Washington D.C. Pop, Hip Hop & R&B, mix with the other alternative colors he brings to his palette. All his life he has been in involved with music, as he grew up listening to Notorious B.I.G, The Fugees, and Michael Jackson among others. D’Antré has released 3 songs “Big Thrill Life”, “No Excuses”, and his latest, “Honestly”, all of which showcase the range of his talents. Regardless of the song that captures your attention most, each of them are perfect examples of an artist constantly working to innovate and explore the outer reaches of his sound and beyond, while continuing to make engaging and relevant music. Now that’s solid.

What makes D’Antré so distinct from the saturated market of urban music artists, is his artistic approach to his music. When he wants you to feel love, you will feel it. When he wants you to feel hope, you will feel it. When he wants you to feel despair, you will feel it. But by the end of it all, you will just feel happy you took the emotional roller coaster.

D’Antré does an incredible job of mystifying the listener with his word play, you never know what he is going to say or how he is going to say it. If you love this kind of transcendental music, “Honestly” is a must have.

D’Antré is the kind of singer that comes along to break the monotony of the same old music, the same old phrasing and the same old clichés. His music is compelling, imaginative and a breath of fresh air compared to the sound-alike, mass produced, electronically enhanced vocals of today.

Sure, he uses echo and reverb effects on his voice, but it is meant to layer and add depth and atmosphere to his performance, which is genuine and passionate. D’Antré seems to sing with multiple overlapping voices which is another distinguishing element of his craft. It also shows that he is capable of making his own art with his own rules.

Production values are also top notch, unabashedly digital, with an analog and retro feel. So when the song develops into a gala of piano, handclaps and percussion, it’s like listening to peak-era R&B.

Urban music today, pedaled by both male and female singers of the genre, resembles an attempt to hustle a dollar above all else. It’s a curious state of affairs when an underground artist like D’Antré seems like one of the more forward thinking guys around.

D’Antré puts a slight whispering edge in his vocals, and lets the track display his skills on a tune that will stick to your bones like meat on a rack of ribs. D’Antré sings expressively, as he locks into a groove that builds a steady but restrained tension.

It’s like nothing else released this year, and it also drove me to go and check out his other tracks. Fueled by perfectionism, D’Antré seems ready to move forward in the contemporary music world, and to expand his influence across other genres as well.

“Honestly” is the 3rd single off “Escape The Ordinary” – D’Antre’s upcoming debut mixtape, set for release this summer.

OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – SPOTIFY