westEND Music Review
Gold Sodium Vol. 1
Ahzay
Instrumentation: 8.8
Lyrics: 8.2
Delivery: 7.6
Production: 7.8
Cohesiveness: 7.4
Creativity: 7.8
Ahzay is a Frederick based artist that recently debuted his album Gold Sodium in April. The 15-track album is Ahzay’s second, after his first, The Routine. In his own words, Gold Sodium is the reflection of success, achievement and accomplishment through one’s tears. In ours, it is an everyday story of pain and recovery.
“Is it my time? I will never know.”
Thoroughly expressing the ever-changing thoughts that plague many minds on busy mornings, slow afternoons, and late nights, Ahzay delivers pure gold.
Our tears of sadness, pain, anger, and joy are all apart of universal journey to glory; it’s all Gold Sodium. Proving himself to be in the top tier of Frederick MCs, Ahzay display a wide range of flows, melodies, metaphors, and most importantly, subject matter. He speaks on the nonchalant attitude most share towards social alcoholism, the quick hold that infatuation presses upon us, the nonstop weight of doubters and seasonal “friends,” sticking to your gut, and putting your past behind you. Doing this while also blending in tracks just for the vibe still providing a solid sense of cohesiveness.
The album starts with the title track. The song introduces the journey on which Ahzay is taking us and describes the circumstances he finds himself in: times have become unfamiliar, life is rough on all fronts, and love doesn’t make it better. Ahzay has found that things have changed as he takes center stage in his adulthood at the "podium." He questions his surroundings. The melody takes us on a ride. The ending breakdown is just that — a breakdown. We have joined him in a time of challenge and perplexity. This
track is hit-worthy.
“I come from somewhere, where everyone wants to come from somewhere else.”
Words from an artist that is confident where he stands, we see has strong roots at home and his sound surely fits the scenery. Smooth, grooving, and slow riding Gold Sodium Vol. 1 is riding music and 2-steppin’ music. With tracks like “Dreams,” “Caged Rhetoric,” and “Waves Now” you notice him get into his own head. On tracks like “Balcony Bachata,” “Diamond Exterior,” and “Presto” you can see him get into his bag. No matter what side of the coin you land on with this project, you’re still in luck.
picky, but a great artist is detailed which sometimes leads to exclusivity. With only four features, it looks like Ahzay batted for 1000. With that being said, the two additions that stood out to the ears were Calvin Little and the home team’s solidified rap vet, Stitch Early. Appearing on “Thankful,” Calvin brought his “A+ Game” with soulful array savory vocals, while Stitch placed any new listener on notice as he made a splash on “Waves Now.”
Wrapping up a strong piece, Ahzay inspires his peers with “Dreams.” As he
encourages himself and those listening along, we hope that he continues to chase his dreams and continues delivering projects like these.
You can find Gold Sodium Vol. 1 on Soundcloud and YouTube.
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