By Odeisel

There is real and then there is REAL. Real is singing about the trials and tribulations that you  (and supposedly everyone) goes through. REAL is ending your latest video by actually turning yourself in to the authorities. Harlem singer Tim Vocals (cause Trey Songz is already taken) did just that on his latest video for the song “Next.”

With the withering state of male R&B, despite the best efforts of cats like Miguel, you always keep your eye out for new angles. While the whole sensitive thug thing has been overdone since Jodeci and taken to its apex by cats like Case and Jaheim, it gets really funky when you are actually singing your way to jail in your video. Sure it was for a weed citation, but jail is jail.

The visuals of Next are minimalist, with Tim Vocals riding the 3 train in a bubble goose and big headphones (no check or gear, no product placement). It goes with the spare track, with vocals delivered in a melancholy feint echo that matches his dire straits. The locale changes to lower Manhattan and the judicial district and the court building, the metal detectors and it gets REAL in a hurry.

Does the kid have pipes? He falls along with that soft-singing lane, and with singers like Frank Ocean and The Weeknd out there, as well as Drake, there is a glut of them on the market but his voice is stronger than Weeknd. That ain’t saying much but he’s not a throwaway dude.

Obviously, Tim Vocals has a lot of shit going on in his life if he’s in position to be surrendering to the authorities.  How far he goes when he comes out depends on how compelling his story is and what he has going on. Does he write or have good writers with him? Does he have a production team? I can’t answer thant. But Next has certainly gotten my attention. Can’t wait to see…what’s next.