(October 28, 2020) It is one thing for a potential artist to grow up with the sounds of music throughout the household. It is something else to have a vocal coach at your immediate disposal, which singer Durand Bernarr had in his mother. That is certainly reflected in his flexible silky pipes, which first graced the underground soul/R&B industry on AlcoholHarmony: The Mixtape, which was reviewed by SoulTracks in 2009. His voice also brought him to the attention of urban music superstar Erykah Badu, with whom he worked. And the industry props kept on coming. Demonstrating his vocal depth, his intensely honest songwriting and his thick electronic soundtracks, this Cleveland, Ohio born, Los Angeles resident was named by Billboard as an “artist to know” in 2019.
Into 2020, Bernarr continues cementing his name and artistic vision on the full-length, DUR& (DSING Records). In his return to SoulTracks and for our latest First Listen spotlight, Bernarr punches the romantic love gut with the polarizing track from DUR&, “Stuck.” Bernarr and Ari Lennox drop some killer background voices in this edgy, nineties R&B vibe amidst a sea of synthesizers. And the storyline relays a heavy disclaimer about what to expect when love goes sour: “I won’t catch you if you fall/But I can love you on your way down/So you can never say/That I kicked your emotions around.” There are a few hiccups with the uneven instrumental arrangements, but “Stuck” thrives on the vocal interaction between Bernarr and Lennox. Take a listen.
By Peggy Oliver
Durand Bernarr and Ari Lennox
“Stuck”
