“I’m looking past the blood on the leaves…wanna sustain my family tree…willing to bet my life there’s a new road…even through all the hurt I’ve seen…even through all the dirt, I’m clean…the past it ain’t got a hold on me no more…”
For those unfamiliar, Durand Bernarr is not simply an artist; he is, in his own words, an experience. This experience has been developing for many years as Durand has released music through platforms like SoundCloud, YouTube, and, more recently, digital music platforms. That voice! (which if you have heard is more than enough of a description; particularly because no further description is adequate). Durand sings from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet with a range to rival most of the vocalists that come to mind as the best. Throughout his musical journey, Durand has remained authentic in unapologetically being himself while also finding new and more inventive ways to use that beautiful voice and massive star power. In this particular undertaking he is tackling love in its many forms.
Below is the video for Overqualified, Durand’s declaration to stay the course until he finds someone who can match his level:
Released on Valentine’s Day, Bloom is an album about love in every sense. That is self-love, familial/friendly love, and, of course, romance. Throughout the 15 tracks you can hear a variety of sounds, all expressed in Durand’s style of being filled with passion, musical mastery, as well as out and out flat-footed sangin’. The album boasts two features: one from the Gawd, the incredible duo of ladies who have been electrifying the music industry since the pandemic, and one from the iconic T-Pain, who brings along his flair in the track THAT!. The music production is incredible, with many songs taking you on a journey through a few different sounds as Durand and the backgrounds evolve throughout, delighting the ear drums and fully showing Durand’s artistry. The elements of R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, and even some Rock, give the album so much depth and character. Most of the songs are longer, which is a blessing, not only because it gives us so much of Durand within those songs, but also because all of us are not into the TikTok-length music. I still love a nice, long song to get lost in and that is exactly what Durand provided.
My personal favorites from the album are Completed, Reaching, Here We Are, and Specialty. Those songs are so much in the best possible ways. Whilst introducing some of the sounds that we love and miss from 90s and early 2000s R&B, the songs also still manage to be fresh and uniquely Durand in execution. The crazy level of singing that this man is doing throughout this album instantly had me looking up tour dates because one thing about Durand is that not only can he sing live, the live renditions are often an improvement on design. You can tell that he just simply loves to sing and has been doing so his whole life. Specialty in particular has been on repeat as it is the epitome of a vibe; sweet, delicate, yet deep and heart-warming. It’s not just a song that makes you want to be in love, it is a song that makes you feel like you are. It’s as if he found a way to put love into song form even for those who may not be experiencing romantic love at the moment. And for that, Durand (in the off chance that you see this) I thank you!
This album is about blooming, finding your light, and basking in your own colors. It’s not all rainbows and positivity, but it is about facing and processing the different scenarios that encourage us to our growth. By looking not only at our relationships to others, but also the core relationship to ourselves we can begin to understand our place in the world. Watching Durand create and fill his space in this industry has been absolutely incredible. Through humor, flare, vulnerability, and fearlessness, Durand walks through the world so fully and amazingly himself that it makes you want to take greater ownership of who you are as well. This album has all the bells and whistles of my favorite R&B works; bridges, breakdowns, and instrumentation, oh my! Lyrically beautiful, vocally immaculate, and brilliant production. A total package album from a total package artist.
Durand will be going on the You Gon Grow, Too Tour this year, although my city is unfortunately not a part as of yet. At this point, I’m looking into getting to whichever city in hopes of hearing Here We Are sung live, at which point I may very well pass out. But either way, this album has been a great gift during challenging times and a great reminder to choose love when possible. Not free-wheeling to any ol’ body, but even if the love is love for yourself, we’re all the better when that’s our motivation. I would like to once again thank Durand for his artistry, for his clear love and passion for music, and his willingness to share with us. For more on Durand, go to www.durandbernarr.com . Please do yourself a favor and listen to this album. Once you have, come back and report your faves. Below is my personal fave, Specialty:
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