Jaden Smith, Sunset Sovereign - CTV3 Album Review
By Carter Fife
We all have guilty pleasure artists that we like to put on when nobody’s around, right? Maybe if you’re a guy, you like to throw some Ariana Grande into your workout mix so nobody at the gym can tell you’re listening to Sweetener when you’re doing crunches in a pool of your own sweat. If you’re a girl maybe you like to put on the occasional Toby Keith song driving home from work - and you know your friends would roast you if they knew but in a way, it makes the experience that much better. A little secret between you and your choice of music streaming service. For a long time I thought that for me, this was my affinity for Jaden Smith’s music (but now he just goes by Jaden). I knew he wasn’t the most innovative or original artist out there, but I couldn’t help but enjoy his laid-back flow and his ear for a good instrumental. I was first put-on to his music back when Syre came out in 2017, and I remember feeling amazed that this was the same Jaden that released the poorly-aged hip-hop remix to Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”.
Years later Jaden has only grown as an artist, trying out new sounds with every project while honing his craft in the process. He’s been featured on tracks with Young Thug, Brockhampton, and A$AP Mob, and has explored genres like punk, pop, alternative, rock, industrial, and trap in the process. His newest record, Cool Tape Volume 3 (stylized as CTV3), is the third installment in a series that hasn’t had a new release since 2014, despite Jaden’s consistent release schedule always keeping fans well-fed. The project is much more laid-back than his 2019 release Erys, with acoustic-heavy mixes that occupy an aural register closer to an alternative or indie-rock album, despite hip-hop’s influence still being heavily present throughout. It is on CTV3 that Jaden’s expertise in melody writing proliferates to a point where almost every track, while admittedly formulaic, is incredibly catchy and inoffensive. While he may play this record a little too safe, writing new tracks that parallel some of his most memorable moments over the past few years, he is still able to deliver a solid record occupying a space that few other rappers are able to exist in.
Like I said previously, it is easy to clown on Jaden for being occasionally derivative of his peers, or for writing bars that could only sound great on paper, as fans may recall his anti-choking pun from the opening tracks of Syre. With that being said, it is hard to deny Jaden’s talent, candor, and consistency when it comes to songwriting and delivering projects that come close to being universally enjoyable. In many ways this is one of my favorite things about Jaden’s music - that despite persisting in an industry that rewards emulating whatever is the newest trend, there are still elements in his tracks that are unapologetically him. I mean, who else would try to emulate the Beatles’ genre-defying Sgt. Pepper’s 50 years later?
CTV3 itself is full of many high-points that capitalize well on Jaden’s melancholic aesthetic of perpetual euphoria and heartbreak. The record’s leading single “Cabin Fever” is an ambient metaphor for quarantine’s romantic frustrations, with hard-hitting percussion and a infectious bass-line. It is a difficult song to describe - it’s something that you would play with a special someone driving at sunset, but you also wouldn’t mind hearing it at a house party. “Bad Connection” is similar in this respect with a more low-fi mix and less-indie rock, more-hip-hop vibe. “Deep End” features watery guitar chords that sound like they could have been taken from the Tame Impala chopping block, with Jaden’s faded vocals starting out soft before erupting “LET’S NOT WAIT UNTIL THE WEEK-END” on the chorus. If you thought I was exaggerating about the Beatles’ inspiration before, cuts like “LUCY!”, “Muted Sunrise”, and “Drops of Sun” are just a few tracks that definitely try to capture the same magic of an endless summer like the Beatles did a lifetime ago.
Fans may be disappointed over the lack of harder-hitting tracks on CTV3, as the track-list definitely hangs on the softer side of Jaden’s repertoire, but this shouldn’t be too shocking as much of his discography, especially the Cool Tapes that preceded this one, shares similar vibes to this one. Frankly, all you have to do is look at the album cover to know what this record is about. While I would have enjoyed Jaden to take a few more risks on this album, like he did with his last few projects, I’m not complaining about new music of his anytime soon. His consistent work ethic makes me feel bad that I ever felt self-conscious for liking his music. In 2018 I saw Jaden’s performance at Camp Flog Gnaw, and while my friends didn’t seem to enjoy it much, I pretended like I didn’t like it either - though I had gone to Jaden’s tour months prior. Hopefully we’ll all be able to hear these songs live sooner rather than later, but until then this is a solid project that will be sure to keep fans at bay. Here’s to then!
Favorite Tracks
Cabin Fever
Bad Connection
Deep End
Rating: 7
Listen to CTV3 here:
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