Viktur Sunday – COLORS

Viktur Sunday – COLORS – EP Review

I wasn’t even twenty seconds into this record before I knew I was going to love it.

You read that correctly.  I didn’t have a feeling that I was going to LIKE it – I KNEW that I would LOVE it.

And you know something?  I was right!

Maybe it’s a matter of having been doing what I do for as long as I’ve been doing it at this point, but from the way “Be Your Self” ticked itself into place, with the Spoken Word element quickly coming in alongside a tremendously jazzy array of instrumentation and brilliantly vivid ideas…I mean, c’mon y’all – I’d love to claim I’m some kind of prophet, but to me, it was so incredibly easy to find the desire to dig right into this record based on what you hear right from the get-go.  At this point here, I’m well versed in the music of Viktur Sunday – not only did we interview the man just a little while ago (click here to read that!) – but I’ve already gone long beyond listening to COLORS and heard a handful of singles he’s got released surrounding it, right up to his latest called “Sailing” which is like…insanely gorgeous.  Believe me when I tell ya folks, everything this dude touches seems to turn to gold…he’s a highly skilled musical alchemist, and a tremendous producer with exceptional vision & understanding for what he wants to get out of his craft.  Armed with a collaborative spirit that has him working with a wide array of talent found throughout the scene, Sunday’s music quickly becomes a wonderful collage that features unique combinations that sound as fresh as you can possibly conceive.  “Be Your Self” is a stellar example of the extraordinary caliber of his audible art.  With assists from Aj and Maio in the mix to give this song a voice beyond the music, for real my friends – this dude practically leaves me speechless…words simply cannot express the amount of COLORS and personality you’ll find in what Viktur has created on “Be Your Self.”  While he has released singles on both sides of the record and worked with numerous artist behind the scenes by this point in his career, COLORS is still technically his DEBUT…and I’m tellin’ ya, with not an ounce of hyperbole – it is STAGGERING.  When I spun my way through it for the first time, I truly felt like I was hearing what it must have been like for someone out there to hear Jon Batiste, long before the rest of the world knew his name.  We’re talkin’ about THAT level of genius & talent in Viktur Sunday y’all – this guy is not going to stay a secret for very long, and I feel honored that I was able to get a sneak peek of his greatness this early on into his career.  From the production to the performance, from the featured guests to the multiple twists & turns within the music, everything you’ll hear is exceptional by every definition – “Be Your Self” is spellbindingly creative, refreshingly positive, poetic, and irresistible.

Like, I just crack a HUGE smile every time that I spin my way through COLORS.  I end up marvelling at the insightful way that “Be Your Self” is so well executed and conceived from the concept to the final results, and then right when I think things can’t possibly get any better, the sweetness and soulful vocals of Deanna come shining through on “Happiness Is Here To Stay” and Viktur seems determined to one-up himself already by TRACK TWO on an EP of four songs.  So look…basically, it works like this – whatever appeals to you on a personal level is kind of what defines what could or couldn’t be a ‘single’ from your own perspective…because I’m tellin’ ya that on a technical level, these songs are remarkably FLAWLESS.  Where a song like “Be Your Self” could easily be a ‘single’ in my world because I genuinely love Spoken Word performances, especially when they go THIS right – that’s a style of music & art that continually appeals to me.  If we’re talking about the masses though, you’d be looking at a song like “Happiness Is Here To Stay,” because the organic level of appeal and accessibility will pretty much blow your freakin’ mind.  It’s so gentle and delicate when it comes to the music itself, and yet with Deanna at the helm to sing this song, it becomes radiantly BOLD and completely ALIVE…you hear every note, inflection and tone.  I love the way the vocals of the lead are supported by the backing vocals & harmonies…the way that “Happiness Is Here To Stay” expands with such a warm and inviting sound is like getting a hug from the best of friends.  It’s stylistically sweet to the nth degree, and possesses this stunningly natural vibe that makes this song sound like it’s all coming together in real-time, right in front of your eyes and ears.  This is the kind of track that has you feeling better about LIFE than you were before you listened to it.

So…let’s be clear…the Spoken Word cuts on this album like “Be Your Self” and “Seasons” are nothing short of mesmerizing and entirely award worthy.  Terresa’s performance on “Seasons” is awe-inspiring y’all…every time it comes around throughout the course of this record, I’m like THAT is ALL I wanna hear!  Here’s where the magic is though…I’ll fill you in on what’s making COLORS so damn amazing from the music to the microphone – it might seem like it’s a simple reason, but it is THE reason, I assure you – and that’s the fact that the attention to detail you’ll find on this EP is purely second to none.  LISTEN to the way Terresa adds in such incredible lyrical imagery and substantial content through her words – now listen to how that seems to practically mimic the high degree of details you’ll find in the musicianship as well.  The effort has been put into every ticking moment you hear all throughout COLORS, but it’s tracks like “Seasons” that make it even more impossible to hide.  I would sit and listen to Terresa read the phonebook if she felt so inclined – and as for Viktur, I think I’ve made it plenty clear as to where I stand on this dude’s music.  You can do the math from there as far as a collaboration like this is concerned.  I’m always stoked to hear another victory for art & music, and that’s exactly what records like COLORS truly are dear readers, dear friends.  From the brass to the ivory, Sunday keeps the music shining with brilliant personality & undeniable charm, and Terresa’s vocals switch seamlessly from the art of Spoken Word into soulful singing…she’s a serious talent, and another pleasure to hear in collaboration with Viktur.  What I really love about “Seasons” is that, I think arguably a lot of people will hear this track as the deepest cut on the record, and yet, listen to the insane degree of accessibility there still is in this subtle groove!  Honestly, it’s amazing…even when Viktur is pursuing material built on real content and substance, he defies the logic of how music works and makes meaningful concepts somehow sound like they have all the appeal and accessibility you’d find in Pop written by a team full of veteran writers.  To think that this is all happening on the inside of what most listeners would consider to be a form of Jazz as well…I mean…that again just defies the odds…this is the kind of Jazz that even people that swear they hate Jazz would love – and it’s artists like Viktur Sunday that help our musical palettes evolve & expand.

In the interview I did with Viktur, we talked about the last track on COLORS called “I Go Love You” a bit, because I felt like this was a song that genuinely affected me on an emotional level, and to be truthful with ya, I still do.  What I love most about listening to this EP, is that I think you could make just as much of an argument for each song being better than the last AND also feel like you’re splitting hairs to the finest possible degree.  As in, you could pretty much argue that the EP doesn’t actually get better track after track just as reasonably, by pointing out how incredibly consistent and amazing this entire set of four songs truly is.  Either scenario could be just as true, that’s what I’m saying…there’s no wrong answer, and in fact, both are an indication of everything going RIGHT for Viktur, no matter how you might feel.  All I know for certain is that “I Go Love You” provides the kind of transcendent experience in listening that I’m always looking for…the kind of music that takes you right outta your world and puts you into a new one to discover, through a whole new perspective.  The collaboration with MrDeep and Teressa is absolutely captivating…so soothing, yet so potently melancholy it could knock you for a loop and have you sitting in the depths of your feels for days on end as you replay this song over in your mind (or like, so I’ve heard…you know…I mean…okay…maybe that’s my actual lived experience in listening to this tune, but shhhhh don’t tell anyone) – “I Go Love You” is powerfully evocative, and equally beautiful.

So look…I promise ya…if you want to hear more about COLORS and Viktur Sunday, feel free to hit me up anytime you like and I will talk your ear off about the superhuman talents of this amazing producer.  I’ll tell you all about how audibly perfect this set of four songs is…I’ll tell ya about all the incredible artists he’s introduced to us along the way through his collaborative efforts…I’ll tell ya all about the limitless future he has ahead of him if he continues to stay the course and make music at this extraordinary level.  I’ll rant, I’ll rave, and I’ll never shut up, I assure you – but you know what’s way better than any of that?

Listening for yourself.  Any of the thousands of reasons I could give you to listen to COLORS would pale in comparison to giving this EP a spin for yourself to see what you’ll find.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed – and I guarantee that when we publish our top ten of 2024, you’ll find Viktur’s name on it.

Find out more about Viktur Sunday at his official website at:  https://viktursunday.com

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