Word: rhythmically
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...music begins, heightening as each of the “statues” is brought to life with powerful “fouette” jumps and fluid promenades on black boxes-turned-platforms. The subdivisions of the beat are inaudible, but the dancers move with a rhythmic cohesion built on a collective understanding of musicality and awareness of each others’ bodies...
...seem emptier and more unimaginative. The opening of “You’re Not My Girl,” for example, mimcs the bass line on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” making use of an almost identical rhythmic structure. The song is more than unoriginal, however; it feels sparse and cheap, a sense that arises from Leslie’s lack of bass or resonance, which in turn makes his songs seem filtered and light...
...Where did you come from / where have you been?” sings Leslie, opening with a triplet and ascending gracefully in eighth notes. And in Pusha T’s opening rap phrase on “Something That I Like,” the rhythmic structure leads to an intriguing enjambment: “Silly me, now I’m so into her / fashion.” Such a line break adds clever detail...
...generic lyrics, however, overshadow the occasional rhythmic flourish. At times, Leslie’s phrases are nearly laughable. “What’s your zodiac sign?” he sings on “Zodiac.” “Are we compatible, baby? / If it matches with mine / we should think about dating.” A few songs later, in “Sunday Night,” he describes his sexual exploits on Sunday evenings: “Do you know what today is? / It’s our anniversary... Work so hard...
This void suggests precisely what it is that Leslie lacks: spirit. Leslie’s lackluster vocals and simplistic lyrics overshadow his few rhythmic intricacies. His tracks seem void of real thought, relying on a mixture of various clichés and repetitive electronic backdrops. And though “Transitions” isn’t necessarily a complete failure—his songs are listenable, indeed—it lacks substantive value, and it cheapens the notion of romance by reducing it to a set of false-sounding phrases. Leslie’s previous songwriting and producing successes...