Naeem: “Noche Larga” – an atmospheric, warmly layered track
Raised in Concord/Charlotte NC, Naeem is an urban music artist, currently promoting his single “Noche Larga”. He has a controlled but resonant voice that possess an underlying power, making his words sharp while maintaining their melodic quality, which is apparent in every song in his catalog. Naeem is a modern day R&B artist, so expect him to switch between rapping with swagger, and crooning with emotional gusto from track to track, and often all in the same song. The single “Elevate” is a prime example of his multiple skills, but there are many others. To savor the full power of his singing voice, take a listen to Naeem’s stunningly passionate performance on “Stay True”. On the other hand if its bars and flows you’re into, then check out “Free”. Personally I prefer the singing, but that’s just my old school R&B cravings at work.
Naeem has the poise and development of an artist that has been doing this much longer than he has, evidenced by the regularity with which he has been putting out music on his Spotify profile. While our music climate has undeniably, and at-times frustratingly, evolved into a machine where all you need is one single with the potential to be a hit record and a perfect storm of calculated opportunities to take it there.
Naeem’s catalog has many of those type of songs, and each one has a beating heart and glowing spirit of its own. Vocally, Naeem easily has the pipes to succeed. Additionally, he has the songwriting to truly fuel the fire.
Besides the aforementioned skills and flavors, on “Noche Larga”, Naeem brings another element to the table – he sings a great part of the song in Spanish. So you’ll have a slow-burning fire in your ear, which you’ll be trying to unravel, as Naeem goes through the motions, unfolding his story word by word.
“Noche Larga” is an atmospheric, warmly layered track of unrushed, somber R&B from an artist extending his wings and proving why he’s one of the more exciting voices working under the radar today. He nestles his voice in hazy clouds of warm keys, murky echoes and some muffled drums and hi-hats. He lays down overlapping vocals, adding twisty bits of subtle sound and employs his songwriting to great effect.
At times, on “Noche Larga”, Naeem gets so introspective that the listener might feel like they’ve stumbled into some late night therapy session. The singer aims for a less mainstream, more soulful approach, and it undoubtedly works. Vocally, he’s a bonafide natural vocalist, while lyrically he proves that he’s unafraid to go where he needs to.
Ultimately, “Noche Larga”, along with any other song you extract from his catalog, showcases the great amount of potential that Naeem has to offer as an artist. If you are a fan of urban music, and haven’t already heard Naeem’s music, I highly recommend you check it out. Musically he sits comfortably in both the R&B and hip-hop genres without abandoning one for the other.
