it’s the weeknd

Wow.

This song is a little dark … but this guy can sing. And … holy cow … he is a Canadian <but he ain’t no Justin Bieber>. He, Abel, is The Weeknd.

Yup.

One guy, entire weekend.

The song? Wicked Games.

Dark & straightforward? Yup.

—

So tell me you love me

Only for tonight, Even though you don’t love me (Only for tonight)

Just tell me you love me

I’ll give you what I need, I’ll Give you what I fiend

(Even though you don’t love me)

—

Beautifully delivered? Yup.

Wicked Games <explicit w/ F-bombs>:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1OTWCd40bc

===

Wicked Games on Jools Holland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GF6XeeLMUo

—

Abel Tesfaye is The Weeknd. He is an Ethiopan/Canadian singer and producer from Ontario.

What an expert said <which is well articulated and uses snazzy musical adjectives to describe his stuff>:

“The Weeknd’s songs are built around a fogged, crepuscular production,. slow tempos, and his keening, falsetto vocals. He worked mostly with producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, whom Pitchfork Media’s Ian Cohen credits with developing “a state-of-the-art R&B template” with the Weeknd. His emotional, plaintive lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as drugs, sex, and pleasure.

Hermoine Hoby of The Guardian characterizes the Weeknd’s songs as “narcotised-slow jams” and delineates their message as “partying is an existential experience, sex is fraught with alienation, and everything registers as unreal and unsettling.”

Well.

I have no clue what some of that means <albeit I love the term ‘narcotised-slow jams’> but I can tell you that this guy understands his voice and abilities and seems to create songs to permit them to flourish.

Simplistically?

He has a nice groove.

I will be interested in where he goes from here.

Enjoy.