NORMANI - Dopamine

It seemed like hers was going to be a downhill ride, success on the first try. The most vocally gifted of the former Fifth Harmony (among the definitive girl groups of the 2010s), and certainly the most charismatic and accomplished on the choreography front, Normani Kordei Hamilton quickly launched her solo career after that of former bandmate Camila Cabello, kicking things off with the energetic "Motivation", co-written with Ariana Grande, setting out on a path of vital, infectious R&B. It seemed that way, precisely, because after this first taste the line was abruptly cut off: on one hand, her parents' harsh battle with cancer; on the other, a label with very little interest in accommodating its artists' creative needs (RCA, the same one that cut short Tinashe's rise to the top) dampened all expectations for the singer, to the point that even "Wild Side", her collaboration with the highly sought-after Cardi B, pulled in far less than expected.

Flash-forward to 2024, and "Dopamine", her debut album, gets announced without much fanfare: no music video, singles dropped with timid social media posts, a release date confirmed only months after the initial announcement. A promotional disaster through and through, for a record that, despite the over-the-top gun cover art and serious production struggles, isn't the flop it could have been. With a clear break from the more euphoric, in their own way "youthful" tones of her single from five years ago, the tracks on this record present a more seductive Normani, savvy at getting the most out of a minimal yet appropriately varied production, avoiding the repetitiveness that plagues too many contemporary trap-pop albums.

Her voice becomes the main vehicle for this variety, turning now sharper and earthier (the funk horns of opener "Big Boy", straight from the deep South), now yielding and inviting ("All Yours", close to the moods of early Dawn Richard), still capable of channeling her inner Brandy for a nocturnal track of real power ("Lights On" and its très "Afrodisiac" pulsations). The same writer behind "Full Moon" co-signs the sparkling romance "Insomnia", dotted with clever guitar phrasing and soulful vocal manipulations, before "Grip" carries forward an interpretation of boom-bap of old, seasoned with tropical flavors.

This variety, however, is also "Dopamine"'s downfall: despite Normani's expressive versatility, the record leaves a fleeting impression, an alternation of sounds and collaborations that pretty much anyone could have pulled off without embarrassing themselves. Hamilton's true identity never really comes through — she co-wrote every track, yet comes across more as a adaptable canvas for the most disparate stylistic needs. She can hold her own in the house breakdown of "Take My Time" (close to the pages of latter-day Jody Watley), play the yielding lover in the intimacy of "1:59" alongside Gunna, and even bend to the rainy elegies of James Blake ("Tantrums").

Of this considerable display of potential, though, only a vague shadow remains, a kind of potential magma that struggles to solidify. The singer's path appears, in short, more uncertain than ever, hesitant about which direction to take: one can't help but doubt that anyone at Rca wants to invest further, especially after the disastrous chart performance. It remains to be seen whether Normani can break free from such short-sighted management and, like others before her, go fully independent. Perhaps then the road ahead will finally be clear.

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28/06/2024