Explore From Midnight To Sunrise with Crush
The undisputed king of K-R&B has returned to the scene! With his first official release as part of his new agency PNation, Crush has treated fans to a full album that features fan favorites such as DEAN, Zion.T, and DPR Live. Comprised of 12 tracks, From Midnight To Sunrise is certainly a journey from start to finish.
The Title: “Alone”
For some, winter signifies a time of loneliness and gloominess, and that feeling is perfectly captured in the ballad of “Alone.” With a light, melancholy piano melody as the main base of the track, Crush’s intense and longing vocals shine through in relaying a message of sorrow and contrasting comfort. Through “Alone,” Crush provides his own version of warmth in song, promising to always be there for the listener even on the toughest days to give even the smallest bit of comfort. The lyrics of the track are especially beautiful, expressing a profound understanding of the difficulty of life and his resolve to help provide solace in the best way he can.
The video is incredibly simple in composition, likely an artistic choice to put more focus on the song itself. In all black-and-white, the majority of the shots show Crush performing on the piano as he sings, eventually panning out to show a large orchestra behind him during the climax of the song. There are intermittent shots of him simply singing, often accompanied by shadow covering his face. For such a forlorn track, it’s incredibly fitting that this video is as simple as it is, instead allowing the track to speak for itself.
The Album
From Midnight To Sunrise is a 12-track album that promises some amazing collaborations even just at first glance of the tracklist. Beginning with intro “From Midnight To Sunrise,” the mellow tone of the album is set by the smooth jazz-influenced track, complete with a soft melody and mid-tempo expressing woeful feelings. Just like its title, the track gives off a late-night vibe, like a song that plays as you reflect on your life in the middle of the night.
“Wake Up” follows, pushing the vibe to a bright morning that begins with the sound of birds chirping. The brighter track still holds a tinge of mournful feelings in its slower tempo and R&B rhythm, but the lyrics clearly portray a happier message. Fellow R&B master DEAN joins Crush on the vocals for this song, blending their styles perfectly to create a powerhouse vocal track. Third song “Wonderlust,” featuring Band Wonderlust, has a groovier tone with a more upbeat and driving rhythm. It’s a short track, much like an interlude, that doesn’t have any lyrics that go along with it. Instead, we’re given a smooth R&B melody accompanied by Crush scatting in his own tranquil way, and the combination is surprisingly lovely. “With You” is a more sensual love song, with the classic R&B ballad feel that is bound to make your heart beat a little faster. It’s a warm and passionate track that conveys a sweet love.
Things take a turn as “Alone” follows “With You,” but picks back up with “Tiki-Taka.” In comes DPR Live for a feature on this track, bringing some hip-hop flavor to the tried-and-true R&B album thus far. “Tiki-Taka” has a sunnier feel to it, a track more fitting for the early afternoon under the bright sunlight. As we continue through the day theme, “Sunset” follows “Tiki-Taka,” bringing an acoustic melody along with it. The simple track begins with only an acoustic guitar, some occasional piano chords, and Crush’s vocals, before making a shift in the last moment to a full-on band supported melody. The song frantically picks up the pace, potentially in tandem with the setting of the sun, before the acoustic guitar takes back over for the end of the song. “Sunset” may throw listeners for a loop, since it’s the least melodically consistent track thus far on the album.
“Butterfly” brings back the sensual R&B vibes from “With You,” adding a bit of an “after dark” feeling to the album. The melody has some traditionally sexy elements that many associate with R&B love songs. “Ibiza” flips the script to a quicker tempo track that feels more playful than the rest of the album. If continuing the theme of the album, “Ibiza” would definitely fit in as the late-night bar scene type of track, which even features some rapping on Crush’s part! It’s groovy and fun, and adds a bit of EDM influence onto the album.
As we get closer to the end of the album, so we get closer to the end of a long day. “Cloth” begins with a retro melodic vibe, complete with the fuzzy sound of an old record. Crush’s light vocals contrast the low-toned melody, which has a hint of sexy vibes from earlier tracks. “Sleep No More” has an interesting start, with a group of chords that sound almost off tune, likely to portray a feeling of uneasiness or imbalance. Much like sitting in bed while trying to sleep and reflecting on the past day with uncertainty, “Sleep No More” gives off the struggle of insomnia.
What better way to close out an album than a collaboration from the legendary duo of Crush and Zion.T? “Nighty Night” provides a calming lullaby melody that will surely help lull you into a peaceful state of mind. For fans of Zion.T’s unique vocal flavor (like myself), it’s a treat to have the two differing voices meld together for this track. The song isn’t as much of a lullaby as you would expect, but it still somehow provides a warmth not unlike curling up under the covers.
With Crush, you can more or less expect exactly what you’re getting musically. He’s considered one of the best K-R&B artists for a reason, so it’s no surprise that his album is completely centered around R&B. The theme of walking through a full day through his tracks is actually quite lovely and is one that flows surprisingly well. From Midnight To Sunrise certainly brings a feeling of warmth needed in the cold winter days, and it’s a worthwhile investment for fans of the singer, or even just a casual listener looking for some soothing music to help unwind.