Imani Wj Wright & Muammar Muhammad – “No Mercy” (Acoustic)
Imani Wj Wright & Muammar Muhammad – “No Mercy” (Acoustic) – Single Review
It’s been nearly five years since we last Imani Wj Wright on these pages of ours…that’s crazy.
Always nice to see people are still out there doin’ what they love to do, though it’s notable that “No Mercy” is about seven months old at this point…and if we’re goin’ by his channel at YouTube, it would appear he’s been focused on a lot of other things besides music for quite some time now. Anyhow. I’ve always appreciated the artistic perspective and innovative approach he’s brought to his craft, and he’s a welcome sound in these speakers of mine, especially if he’s playing with the stunningly talented Muammar Muhammad on guitar as well. These two have always made for an exceptional collaboration, which we’ve experienced in singles like “Lately” and “Motherless Child” reviewed way back in 2019.
I think it’s fair to say that this is a pretty logical continuation from where we left off. Honestly, it would have been kind of strange to find anything otherwise. Imani discovered his voice and his own signature sound, and to deviate from that would have been extremely unexpected. So…yeah…I mean…don’t get me wrong, “No Mercy” is solid material, but it’s also an unquestionably lateral move with his music. It’s tough to recreate the wheel when you feel like you’ve found that thing you do, and there’s ultimately a lot less incentive to branch out away from it. Imani knows what works for him, and he sticks very closely to that. There’s an argument to be made that that’s the safest choice to make, and I wouldn’t dispute that. At the same time, there are no rules, and there’s nothing wrong with doing what you know works.
Would nearly five years away be the right time to show some significant progression and shift things in a new direction? Well…that’s not gonna be what every artist or band would choose to do, but by the same token, there’s probably never going to have been a better time to make a change if that’s what you were feeling inclined to do. It’s been long enough that Wright could have gone in any direction. It’d be hard to sound stale when you were ahead of the game to begin with, but it’s also easy to become somewhat stagnant creatively if you’re not too careful as well. Personally, I like to hear progression in an artist’s career…I like to hear that growth…and hell yeah, I like to be surprised by what I find when I click play as well. “No Mercy” is more like a trip down memory lane and confirmation of his consistency.
Overall, Imani’s artistic integrity and vision for the kind of music he wants to create is still fully intact. I dig his poetic approach, and while he’s always been one to color outside of the lines a little bit with the occasional note & tone here & there, “No Mercy” is pretty much on target from start to finish with very little that you’d question in that respect. Lyrically, it’s got moments that are clearly powerful and armed with potent imagery that’s designed to make a thought-provoking impact on ya, which I’d imagine it will. In my personal opinion, I like a lot of what Imani’s got to say here, but I’d also be the first to tell you that the majority of what is said in “No Mercy” also feels incredibly implied. I like a fair amount of ambiguity in a lot of what I listen to, but at the same time, there are certain situations and types of song that call out for being more direct in what they’re attempting to say…and I feel like “No Mercy” would have greatly benefitted with a more pointed, say it with your whole chest type of approach, at least to a degree I guess. Muammar’s guitar is as spellbinding and stunning as we have known it to be in the past, and in general, I’d argue that it’s his mesmerizing melody that serves as the main inspiration in assisting Imani to get the best from his vocal performance. “No Mercy” is one of those feeling the moment types of tunes, where you can hear both Wright & Muhammad spark each other to reach the best results that they’re capable of. No real huge complaints from me here when it comes to the production, performance, or within the writing. I think there’s probably some debate to be had about whether or not “No Mercy” reaches quite the heights you’d hope to hear after being away for so very long, but it’s a quality cut at the end of the day and I don’t think there would be anyone out there listening that would really try to dispute that. Do I personally want a little more from Imani Wj Wright and Muammar Muhammad? Yeah, I mean…I’m not gonna lie to ya…I’m in that camp that believes the more distance we encounter should somewhat end up equating to the comeback serving a significantly audible purpose, and I don’t know that I’ve necessarily been convinced that that’s what we’ve got here in “No Mercy,” even though I like what I hear. It’s tough…like I always say, these reviews don’t get easier over time, they get harder, especially when you end up being so familiar with an artist’s or band’s catalog throughout the years. I’m impressed by the level of completeness & balance between the performances put in by both stars of the show here…that I can say with full confidence. Time will tell…this might be a sign of this collaboration getting set to make another push forward with their music, or it could simply be a one-off reminder that their music is still out there and available…we’ll have to see. Regardless, I feel like they’ve got a song worth listening to with “No Mercy,” and I’d always listen to what these two come up with. It’s up to them on how far they wanna move forward with their artistic evolution of course, but even lateral moves with their material will always produce results well worth listening to.
Find out more about Imani Wj Wright from his page at IG: https://www.instagram.com/imaniwjwright1
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