Bryson Tiller’s ‘Anniversary’ Is Neither a Bop Nor a Flop

Nothing gets you in your feelings quite like the right R&B record. The past decade gave way to many such gems, with few albums more memorable than Grammy-nominated Bryson Tiller’s “Trapsoul.” His culture-resetting debut quickly became synonymous with the trapsoul movement, with the quadruple platinum Billboard-worthy single “Don’t,” closely followed by the instant hit “Exchange,” standing out as pivotal catalysts to Tiller’s career.

The Louisville artist went on to cement his rise to fame in his 2017 “True to Self” album tour alongside fellow new R&B icon SZA. More recently, he returned to his origins with a “special edition of his debut album, “Trapsoul” — featuring some B-sides and two new tracks including the SoundCloud demo “Rambo (Last Blood)” in collaboration with The Weeknd.

The bar has been set high for Tiller ever since, but few knew what tricks the reclusive artist had up his sleeve.

Many speculated about his new release; some guessed it was another set of B-side tracks, while others expected a meditation on the artist’s personal life. Regardless of how it would be being conveyed, however, a consensus remained: that mid-2010’s feeling of being in their bag, a memento so commonly attributed to the trapsoul genre and Tiller himself — listeners wanted that feeling back.

At first glance, Tiller's new album “Anniversary” seems to do just that.

Intentionally reminiscent of “Trapsoul” both in its album art and slated release date (the literal “anniversary” of “Trapsoul”’s original release), the album seems to be a continuation of its successful older sibling, just with a more refined sound. Many fans wondered: Would it be merely another echo of the “Trapsoul” legacy, or exceed those high-set expectations?

The verdict’s out, and it’s none of the above. “Anniversary” is more of a ghost in “Trapsoul”’s shell than a deliberate echo, neither moving past previous styles nor striving to maintain them. The result is a record constantly caught in the limbo of aimlessly trying out new sounds and falling back into the reverberations of its past.

There exists a clear-cut dichotomy between the two kinds of tracks on “Anniversary.” On the one hand, songs like “Things Change” and “Timeless Interlude” employ the same vocal range and audio-backing of “Trapsoul”’s “Let Em’ Know” and “Exchange,” constantly switching up the flow from raw vocals to straight bars. “Next time around, fuck, I want it to be different, yeah,” Tiller lamented in 2015, revisiting the conversation five years later with: “No, I never go too deep … It's a evident relapse.” This trademark self-reflection bleeds flawlessly into the lo-fi beats of “Always Forever” and “Next to You,” where more of Tiller’s refined yet unfalteringly authentic mellow melodies shine. “Loving you is intoxicating,” Tiller harmonizes, an epitome of that intimate, bittersweet lyricism Tiller is known to execute so perfectly.

A conflict arises, however, when these vocal-centered numbers clash with the new sounds Tiller experiments with on “Anniversary.” Samples of radio clips and more experimental vocal effects on tracks like “I’m Ready for You” and “Sorrows” make for an unfocused, heavily-reworked sound. The narrative of jealousy and argument is muddy at best, either pushed to the background or wholly drowned out by the busyness of the synth-tones and layered beats. Tiller’s attempts to innovate, then, end up only holding back.

Thankfully, if there’s one thing “Anniversary” does execute successfully, it’s the larger thematic scheme of the album. In the midst of switching between serenades and bars, lo-fi beats and busy chords, messy relationships and even messier ones, Tiller establishes a very clear theme: growth.

From the get-go, the intro track establishes that this isn’t the old Tiller in the recording booth: “Do you see, so many things have changed… But now I've been reborn.” That theme is carried out beautifully throughout, even on tracks that otherwise fall flat as a whole like “Inhale” and “Keep Doing What You're Doing.” On these tracks, Tiller finds the sweet spot between overthinking and self-reflection, a balance his music often struggles to strike.

And then there’s the Drake song, which is particularly disappointing. It lacks the hook, line, and sinker effect one would expect from the household name. What makes the flop even worse is that Tiller fans have greatly anticipated this collaboration ever since Drake first cosigned on “Don’t,” but the overhyped and highly-anticipated fantasy remains unsatisfied.

Regardless of the clout and any future success (or lack thereof) of the album, Bryson Tiller as an artist has spent a significant amount of time and energy on making new and evolved music. That effort ends up being to his detriment, clashing with the already-established sound present in the more authentic-sounding tracks. All in all, “Anniversary” feels like a diamond in the rough in comparison to “Trapsoul,” which is superior in nearly every respect. But Bryson Tiller’s signature flow still shines through — and arguably, manages to save the album.