Bobby Wizdum – “By The Moonlight” (Dancehall Mix) / “Steer The Wheel”

Bobby Wizdum – “By The Moonlight” (Dancehall Mix) / “Steer The Wheel” – Singles Review

Alrighty…we’ve got a couple of samples coming off of Bobby Wizdum’s album called Before Your Eyes.

And what exactly do I think about these tracks?  Hmmmmmmmm.  Good question!

So…okay…I think I’m about to go with the ‘less is more’ theory.  I put on “Steer The Wheel” at first, but we’ll get to that in a moment or two here.  After I got my initial impression, I wanted to kind of confirm what I was feeling, which is what led me to listen to “By The Moonlight” (Dancehall Remix) right away, to see if I felt the same way about it more or less.  It makes sense that they’d have similarities…they are coming from the same record, made by the same man and all.  While I’m definitely feeling like there’s a bit too much of somethin’ goin’ on…it’s really hard to put my finger on what that is exactly.  Sure there’s a syllable too many here & there in a couple of spots, but that’s a minor observation at best…so I’m not even really complaining about that.  I really think it’s just a matter of there being like, no breathing room in between the music and the vocals…Bobby’s got somethin’ goin’ on at all times with both main elements, and it like, has this effect where it’s actually fairly tough to absorb everything we’re listening to all at once.  Don’t get me wrong…while I might not have been entirely sure at first, I came to the conclusion that the man IS good at what he does, but man, he does a LOT of it, and all at the same time.

Of the two tracks I’ve got, I probably sided with “By The Moonlight” (Dancehall Mix) as being the more accessible of the singles I had from Before Your Eyes…at least theoretically…but we’re nearly splitting hairs.  I felt like it came down to the chorus in each song – I ended up feeling like “By The Moonlight (Dancehall Mix)” stands a better chance of making an impact on listeners by comparison I suppose, most specifically in regards to this cut having a chorus that’ll make enough sense to most listeners.  Musically, this song is way heavy on the low-end side of sound, which also makes everything feel a bit closed in as a result, but I like what I hear in the music, and I can certainly hear that Bobby has a solid combination of skill and personality that could really lead him in the right direction.  But yes – less is more.  We’re essentially talking about the wall of sound effect…and in my opinion, Wizdum’s songs would benefit from being more dynamic rather than so THICC and so constant.  I’m just being real with the man – there’s some solid stuff in here buried underneath the bass in the details and in his lyricism – but it’s going to be a monumental challenge for the average everyday listener to get to the heart of all that in the way that it’s currently being presented.  I listen to music all day, every day…that’s all I’ve done with my entire life – and I’m tellin’ ya my man…this is gonna be overwhelming for most folks tuning in.  I love the color in the vibe…and I feel like Bobby’s got undeniable potential…but we’re gonna need some space in order for our brains to fully process all this at once.  Wizdum gets his choice from here – he doesn’t need to listen to me, or to anyone else – but it looks like Before Your Eyes has been out for a while, so he knows what the results truly are.  If people are listening, then keep it moving and do what you do.  If they’re not, then it’s time to adjust something, to see if there’s potentially another way to draw them in.  I feel like there’s so much uniqueness in what Bobby’s doing that he’s definitely onto something, but he might either have to wait for the people to catch onto what he’s creating, or tweak something to find the middle ground in between the cerebral content he’s attempting, and what the masses can really handle.

Cause brother-Bobby, I have road tested these ears of mine on every kind of style & sound you can think of…and I know what you’re rockin’ with is destined for an uphill battle in winning over the available ears.  Like I was saying earlier, “Steer The Wheel” was the first track I actually listened to, and I was basically scratching my head with the ol’ WTF is this as it began.  Look…we all have things we do better than other things, and when I got to the bars on “Steer The Wheel,” I felt like Bobby was on solid enough ground.  As for the main hooks…I dunno man…they are OUT THERE dude…and I guess I’m just not quite convinced that they’re gonna be strong enough to keep the people coming back for another round.  I mean, I’m just callin’ it like I hear it, like I always do…and I mean…the chorus to “Steer The Wheel” is bizarre, ain’t it?  It’s more memorable than any of us are gonna give it credit for being at first, but the question is whether or not it’s memorable for being executed to its maximum potential, or whether we’re gonna remember this because we don’t often come across anything that sounds like this at all.  That kind of massive degree of difference can be a GREAT THING when it comes to art of making music – honestly, that’s how identity is established – and that can be one of the biggest contributors to longterm success in a career, practically bar none.  But going that route demands MAJOR patience on the artist’s side, and a whole lot of acceptance on the listener’s side.  “I’m here for the long haul baby” as Bobby will tell ya…so maybe he’s not gonna mind if it takes us all a year to tune our ears to accept what he’s creating as something we’d readily seek out…but that’s where the patience is required, because it’s not too often that listening ears are ready to accept something different.  It takes time to process a new sound, and while Wizdum has a few similarities to other songs or artists you might have heard in the past, he’s largely rocking with a ton of uniqueness and his own sound.  Lyrically, he shines pretty bright with a deep story that people SHOULD hear on “Steer The Wheel,” about a man named Julius Jones, who remains unjustly incarcerated for the murder of Paul Howell to this very day, as far as I know.  He’s doing life after having his execution commuted in the final hours before it was supposed to take place – it’s not gonna be the happiest story you’re gonna hear, and sadly, we’ve heard too many of them over the course of the last who knows how long at this point.  So don’t get me wrong – I like what Bobby has written here, and it’s an IMPORTANT song.  I applaud artists like Wizdum that use the platform they have for the betterment of society, or to bring light to issues that need to be discussed.  He’s got a few too many syllables in a couple lines here and there, and I don’t need to point out where, because he knows precisely what I’m talkin’ about – they’re the same ones that are hard to get out perfectly when it comes time to record, because that’s the signal that the metering is slightly off kilter and needs to be adjusted.  However slightly it may be, it’s crucial for the fluidity of the flow yo, and it’s worth the rewrite if necessary…there are always two ways to say something at the very least.  I maintain that the chorus in this cut is practically an obstacle for most listeners out there, and could be the barrier between what gets this song heard and not – but if we’re talkin’ about purpose and lyrical content, I fully dig “Steer The Wheel” and would probably argue that it’s the stronger of the two songs when it comes right down to it.

Find out more about Bobby Wizdum from his official website at:  https://bobbywizlives.com

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