Joji- "BALLADS 1"

Known for his controversial and often inflammatory YouTube personas, George Miller has released his first studio album, “BALLADS 1,” under his “Joji” pseudonym. Miller gained YouTube fame under his now defunct “Filthy Frank” and “Pink Guy” aliases. Under the Joji moniker, Miller explores a more introspective and less satirical aspect of creative expression.

“BALLADS 1” is overall solidly produced, and although they are strong, Miller’s vocals do not hold up to those of more established R&B artists. Arguably the album’s strongest song, “YEAH RIGHT,” was previously released as a single, and since has gained over 51 million plays on Spotify. On this track, Miller combines a distant piano melody with heavy drums and bass, which are all set to a slow rhythm. Miller’s lazy delivery of vocals comes off well on this song, adding to the dreary tone. Other quality tracks on the album include “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” and “ATTENTION.” Both are similar to “YEAH RIGHT” in how they incorporate simple piano melodies, but “ATTENTION” includes much more bass, even to the point of distortion. Another good track, “COME THRU,” also features heavy bass and piano, and combines high pitched vocals with a good melody. “R.I.P” features well-known artist Trippie Redd, but the track is not as strong vocally as others on the album. Other tracks are less memorable, but are not bad in any way. Miller’s limitations reside mostly within his lyrical content, as often his topics become repetitive and somewhat boring. It would be interesting to see Miller expand his horizons some on the instrumental front as well, because although his instrumentals are good on this album, similar ones might seem unoriginal in later works. However, Miller’s work is surprising high quality considering his little musical experience outside of comedic YouTube videos.

3.5/5 Anchors