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thebigfunk
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Tue Mar-01-22 02:42 PM

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"Amber Mark - Three Dimensions Deep"


          

That recent post about new artists had me thinking it would be good to take time and shout out individual albums more often for discussion, critique, praise, insults, etc. So in that spirit, what's everyone think about...

Amber Mark - Three Dimensions Deep

I'll share some thoughts in a comment below.

Here's the tracklist. Haven't found any especially detailed production credits.

One - 3:31
What It Is - 5:25
Most Men - 4:15
Healing Hurts - 2:42
Bubbles - 2:38
Softly - 2:53
FOMO - 3:51
Turnin' Pages - 2:36
Foreign Things - 3:00
On & On - 3:28
Out Of This World - 3:12
Cosmic - 4:35
Darkside - 3:31
Worth It - 4:18
Competition - 3:22
Bliss - 2:53
Event Horizon - 3:56


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

  

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Topic Outline
Subject Author Message Date ID
RE: Amber Mark - Three Dimensions Deep
Mar 01st 2022
1
Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far
Mar 01st 2022
2
      RE: Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far
Mar 02nd 2022
3
           RE: Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far
Mar 02nd 2022
4
She’s dope
Mar 06th 2022
5

thebigfunk
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10457 posts
Tue Mar-01-22 02:44 PM

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1. "RE: Amber Mark - Three Dimensions Deep"
In response to Reply # 0


          

I'm super mixed on this one. I don't remember what singles brought her to my attention last year but I quickly learned she was on everyone's radar as one of the brighter up-and-coming stars in R&B -- and that I was late to the party, as she'd released a few acclaimed EPs earlier. I enjoyed what I heard and was ready to dig into this, her full-length debut.

The album itself is a nice mix of styles, current sounds mixed with a touch of a 90s/early 00s vibe (even if I couldn't pin down what makes me say that, lol). There's some afrobeats ("Bubbles") and dancehall-ish ("Softly") stuff, a few cuts that are more hip hop-inflected ("One", "Competition"), a number of ballads or more reflective pieces ("Healing Hurts", the especially striking "Cosmic"), and just some really great production/arrangements overall. And about halfway through, starting with "On and On," it seems to consciously take a left turn more self-reflective lyrics and a broader soundscape, with a loose otherworldly/outer space theme and some genuinely unexpected musical moments that feel like something out of a Janelle Monae album.

"On & On" is itself a good example: it starts out as a mid-paced pop track built around a strong emphasis on each beat that sounds familiar at first - think the main riff of "Benny & the Jets" - but slowly incorporates unexpected strings, clever vocal layers, and takes an even more unexpected psychedelic turn toward the end as the beat drops out and the vocals just float. A few tracks later, album standout "Cosmic" merges a same sense of the unexpected with a moving vocal melody and harmonies that seem to propel the track forward on their own. Album closer "Event Horizon" is probably the boldest choice in this sense, with densely layered vocal harmonies shifting atop a shimmering drum-less backdrop.

Yet for all its high points, the album has a confusing pace and a bit of an identity crisis. Amber Mark's vocals rarely come across as especially distinct or notable on their own, and her actual vocal performances often feel flat, almost lacking in personality or perspective. She breaks out on tracks like "Cosmic": there, her vocals seem at their most raw and fully invested. And as thankful as I am for the genre-hopping and relatively trap-less production, it comes across as more scattered than thoughtful -- like an accident more than a decision. Similarly, there's a very loose theme here that is never truly embraced.

There are some really confusing choices that don't help. If "Healing Hurts" had been a duet w/someone like Lucky Daye, dropped the overly loud hihats/trappish elements and instead leaned into its gospel-ish quality, that shit would be a well-justified hit, easy; instead it feels like a draft of an idea that never pays off. "FOMO" is a great dance track that nearly implodes on an awful refrain in the chorus ("no mo fomo"); similarly, "Most Men" wastes a really, really smart intro and song premise on super clumsy lyrics that just seem to get worse as the song goes on ("most men are garbage" is part of the chorus which, regardless of how you feel about its sentiment, just feels about as lazy as one can get). And a number of tracks just never really grabbed my interest.

In the end, for me, it's a solid album but one that feels like it wants to be more - maybe could be more - but never really delivers.

Favorite tracks:
Cosmic - https://youtu.be/Vt04M8K4R1c
One - https://youtu.be/cBFSMLAcYO0
On & On - https://youtu.be/YlsBGApYb7E

Also, just watched her Tiny Desk Concert -- worth a watch!
https://youtu.be/1D-QXrC3U0I


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

  

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Hitokiri
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22092 posts
Tue Mar-01-22 03:56 PM

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2. "Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far"
In response to Reply # 1


  

          

The album is separated into 3 suites. The first is about her insecurities, the second working through them, and the final part is about self acceptance/self love.

But overall, to me, it's okay. It's too long -- I rarely make it all the way to the end. There are some cool songs and some forgettable ones. Might be too ambitious for it's own good and I wish there were more things in the vein of Mixer, a single she dropped a couple years ago. I'm always on the fence about how much I actually like her singing voice. I like her though, and I've been rooting for her for a while now and will continue to do so.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

  

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thebigfunk
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10457 posts
Wed Mar-02-22 08:45 AM

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3. "RE: Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far"
In response to Reply # 2


          

The intro to Most Men is one of my favorite things on the whole album and then it shifts into that slightly off-kilter beat and I'm still loving it. Super smart, super effective, and it *sounds* great.

But the intro's lyrics to me are actually really insightful and then, after the beat change, the lyrics just get more and more predictable, line by line.

Also, what's up with that wasted fadeout at the end? That change-up sounds right on -- should have kept that going!

But yeah, it's cool but it kind of irks me, lol.

I saw that about the suites, I need to spend some time with it from that perspective. I think your suggestion that it's too ambitious for its own good is a solid way of putting it. It sort of makes me think of Yebba's album from last year ... where if Yebba had cut about a third of the album, what have been undeniably classic. Instead, between the sequencing, some filler, and too many attempts to cover all the genre bases, it felt really unfocused. (Although that album has really grown on me over time.)

Listened to the Conexao EP from Amber Mark last night and really liked that, especially the title track. I think she might just need more time to figure out who she is/wants to be, artistically and stylistically.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

  

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Hitokiri
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22092 posts
Wed Mar-02-22 12:11 PM

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4. "RE: Most Men, is actually one of my favorite tracks of the year so far"
In response to Reply # 3


  

          

Yeah I agree that the intro seems very specific and then the song becomes more general lyrically, but that beat, the melody, and the way she sings those more general lyrics works really well for me. And it's an easy and fun sing-a-long, that like you mentioned, just sounds great. I do feel you on the fade out, though. On more than one occasion i've been listening to it in the car and have gone to turn it up before realizing it's the fade lol

And I think I read somewhere that the reason there was such a long time between Conexao and 3DD was because Amber was trying to figure out what her sound would be. That tracks with all that she was doing on this album. I think she, along with a whole host of young singers would do really well to find a single producer or maybe a couple work with them in crafting their albums. Like D'Mile did with Lucky Daye's first album.

I kinda appreciate that take on Yebba's album, too. I was really looking forward to that one before it came out, and ended up pretty disappointed in it. I think it's probably largely do to the genre hopping and lack of focus.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

  

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grey
Member since Apr 04th 2003
2219 posts
Sun Mar-06-22 03:18 AM

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5. "She’s dope "
In response to Reply # 0


          

No new favorite from her on here but most men is a jam para me.

  

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