A unique sound and a dozen Drake reference turned into a polarizing debut.
Kaash Paige is going to be special.
That was my initial thought when one of my cohosts introduced me to her on an episode of UNHEARD. That thought persisted when I heard her standout performance on the Don Toliver track "Euphoria". And the thought was all but cemented after I finally decided to listen to her 2019 mixtape Parked Car Convos.
Similar to SZA's Z or Summer Walker's Last Day of Summer, Teenage Fever was supposed to be the moment when Paige's special future became undeniable.
In an interview with Flaunt, Paige said one of her goals for herself was "to become a new sound".
Paige's sound screams special. During a time when R&B is either all whispers or watered down for larger markets, Paige's new sound screams special.
Her one-of-a-kind take on the genre carries Teenage Fever. It's the reason lyrically-empty tracks like "London" and "Lost Ones" go from skips to tracks stuck in your head all day.
The tracks aren't intricate or filled with stellar songwriting. The tracks mainly shine because Paige's delivery drags them to heights the writing doesn't deserve to reach.
For example, the chorus of "Lost Ones" says nothing more than "it makes my heart go woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, and I'm like ready set go-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh faster", yet it's a standout moment on the album.
When Paige is able to consistently implement more detailed songwriting like "Break Up Song" into her already established image and special sound, she could become one of the biggest names in music.
From song titles to interpolations, there is a distracting amount of Drake references on this album. So distracting I had to make sure she wasn't signed to OVO (she's not).
As confusing as the constant Drake references were, they weren't what held this project back.
Paige's lyricism holds that responsibility.
There are moments of great lyricism like her verse on "Break Up Song":
Addin' you, to my collection
So I'm attractin' you, for my protection
Put an AP on your wrist, you're my possession
Talking 'bout toxic with it, but you know I'm selfish
But you can't leave me now
You can't leave me now
This house is not a home
Get it then I go
You say my heart is cold
But you've been diggin' for some gold
Tryna see, where my mind is at
I was sneakin', you was peepin' and I'm fine with that
Missed calls, we ain't speakin', then I'm fallin' back
And here's a wasted verse from "Fake Love":
Leaching off my energy (Energy)
We was friends but now we're enemies (Enemies)
Now we're coming to an end of negativity
And let's not pretend you kept it real with me
I been solo dolo (Dolo)
Tryna watch how I move, I knew you [?]
Like [?] what you say
I listen to you every day
Paige has lyrical talent and displays it every now and then, like the first verse of "Mrs. Lonely", but for the most part, she relies on her sound to carry her and throws in surface-level lyrics to get by.
As special as her sound is, I don't see her blowing up until her lyric quality progresses to match her sound.
Final Score: Low 6/10
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