(June 4, 2019) It isn’t hard to find odes to the falling in love: the pounding hearts, clammy palms, the hours of kisses and convo before you two decide that you’re one. But what happens beyond the “happily ever after”? 90s R&B singer-turned-marriage-minister Montell Jordan answers that question with a brand new single just in time for summer, “When I’m Around You.”
It’s hard to conjure up those same ol’ butterflies once there’s bills, babies and a shared bathroom, but Jordan’s mid-tempo love letter to monogamy, featuring a touch of sanctified street cred via gospel rapper Lecrae, assures his lady that he’s still into her and glad that she’s also there for the long haul, crooning about stumbling words and clumsy limbs whenever he’s within range of his boo (“Baby, in my mind I refuse/ to get comfortable and lose/ what made us fall in love.”).
With just the right amount of vulnerability and verve, “When I’m Around” is the first single from Montell’s upcoming full-length LP, his first in over decade. With 90’s era “mixtape tours” becoming all the rage, old school and new school should have have no problem embracing the hitmaker’s return. True love is hard to find and even harder to keep, so a jam from one of our 90s faves dedicated to keeping it fresh certainly deserves a spot in the summertime playlist.
By Melody Charles
Montell Jordan feat. Lecrae
“When I’m Around”