Eric Bellinger – Eazy Call album
Released: 6 April 2018
Eric Bellinger and his alter-ego Eazy create a major slew of hit records on Eazy Call. Sounds like an LA summer day party
Rating Categories:
★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
★★★★: Excellent; recommended to all fans of artist or genre.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland songs or minor flaws throughout.
★★★: Good; fans of the artist will find value here.
★★1/2: Average; does little to establish the artist or maintain quality.
★★: Unexceptional; a few highlights but otherwise bland.
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
★: Seriously flawed; very poor work but relatively listenable.
1/2: Terrible; a true embarrassment and akin to audio masochism.
Album breakdown
The album begins quickly with the ultra-sensual serenade “Legs“, and turns into a West Coast function for the next 3-4 tracks.
Eazy Call benefits from its fast start – track #2 “Not A Love Song”, arguably the best song on the album, features a vibrant and refreshing verse from Ma$e. Dom Kennedy makes a cameo on the West Coast summer night joint “Main Thang” and West Coast fan favorite AD lays a memorable 16 on “She” (you’ll remember AD from YG’s song “Don’t Come To LA” off Still Brazy. All of these tracks sound like they could be hit radio singles, and Bellinger sequences them one after another to create a strong start for this album.
Eazy Call’s strong start is topped off with “Roleplay” at track #5, featuring Scottie on a Young Thug-inspired hook.
Bellinger’s ability to seamlessly switch in and out of falsetto on Eazy Call is fascinating. The falsetto sections on “Legs” in particular stand out to me:
Legs up HIGH in your Jimmy Choos/
I’ma lick you ALL NIGHT it’s my favorite FLAVOR TOO/
VERDICT
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential
At 15 songs and 52 minutes, Eazy Call is a good full length R&B LP from LA’s fan favorite, Eric Bellinger. However, the album isn’t without its cons: Mila J and Tink make pretty underwhelming appearances on “Ain’t Ya Ex” and Ne-Yo generically appears on the formulaic radio cut “Dirty Dancin”.
Despite a few missteps, there are more than enough gems throughout Eazy Call to outweigh the cons: “By Now” is a beautiful confessional wedged in at track #12, the hook on “Y.A.K” featuring Chevy Woods and Sammie is infectious and the sole reason I return to the song, and the self-titled and humorous outro “Eric Bellinger” ends this mostly R&B LP on a rap tip without feeling awkward.
TORY LANEZ BEEF
Eric Bellinger rolled out this album by sending shots at Tory Lanez for stealing his “yo favorite song” tagline on the diss track “Yikes!“. R&B Ether.
“1st time you bite my shit/
Nevermind it, wasn’t stressin’/
2nd time you did it/
OKAY NOW THIS NEEDS ADDRESSING/“