Elle Varner definitely did not compromise her style for this project.  I must admit it took a few spins for some of the songs to grow on me.  But the project is full of soulful rhythm and rhyme.  Ms. Varner has a distinct and rich sound to her vocals that draws you in. That mixed with the smooth soul melodies that are laced all throughout the album make for an easy listen.  The mixtape starts off with a humorous track “WTF”, which is Ms. Varner recalling a series of strange events that would make any person say “wtf?!” such as someone breaking into her car, finding her man sleeping with another man, and being robbed all in the same night! The project then settles into a smooth ride, from track to track.  A few personal favorites would be “Feel Like A Woman”, a song where Elle pours her heart out on the table to the man that she’s dating.. “What a difference between a boy and a man,  Can’t believe I’ve been missing this all along… I don’t really know what you’re doing, but I feel like a woman with you..” classic R&B love song.  Another track I appreciated on the project is entitled “Runaway”, a song to the troubled man or woman out there fighting with their own struggles or demons that can’t face their problems so all they can do is run away from the situation. I also liked “So Fly” a song Elle performed on the BET Awards as part of the Music Matters campaign speaking on her body image and insecurities.  “If I had no cellulite, big breast and pockets real wide, then maybe I, maybe I could be so fly..”

This mixtape was a great introduction of Elle’s non apologetic soulful sound. She penned a little piece of herself in each track.  She did it her way, every song written by her, she allows the listener to take a peak into who Elle Varner truly is. This project is just the prelude to her studio album.  She definitely made her mark and let us know she’s here.  All in all I can say this is a solid project.  Not an instant fave or me, but I definitely like  most of the tracks.

Recommendations:  Feel Like A Woman, Do You Want To, Runaway, Go & So Fly

By: K.Moss (@iRepTrina)