Posted on: October 22, 2015 Posted by: Peter Burns Comments: 0

Tee-Jay (Thomas Johnson) is a singer, songwriter, rapper from St. Louis, MO. Finding his passion for music in 2012, his versatility and flexible voice makes him an easy fit for most genres of music. Tee-Jay was once signed to an independent label in Colorado named Clarity Entertainment Group, but has recently gone independent and is working on promoting and building his own brand.

Tee-Jay has just released his sophomore project, entitled “Burnt Bridges & Cut Ties”. A hybrid cross between J-Cole, Drake and Frank Ocean, Tee-Jay meanders somewhere in-between, as he switches between rhyming and full-blooded singing across the 12 tracks that make up the album. The recording sounds like all of the good things from all of those artists, the singing, the groovy soundscapes and beats, the charisma, coolness and confidence, as well as the honest storytelling all wrapped into one neat little audio package.

Tee-Jay (Thomas Johnson)
Tee-Jay (Thomas Johnson)

“Burnt Bridges & Cut Ties” is a solid and cohesive album, where everything sounds focused and with purpose.  Each verse, whether rapped or sung, strokes the momentum of the song, retaining soul and intensity in tandem with one another. Tee-Jay comes out swinging from the first track on the album, “Patient”, and fills each following song with urban freshness to classic R&B styles.

Among the standouts you’ll almost certainly select tracks such as “Fear of Failure”, “Buy the Bar”, “Ocean”, Lost in Your Love”, “The City”, “Worst Case (Love Me)” and “Round of Applause ft. Young Kev”. All through, Tee-Jay is candid, charming and heartfelt in his lyrics and delivery – not to mention those super-polished pipes. My only small complaint would be the four letter words, which I don’t think adds any creative or artistic weight to this accomplished project, but it’s purely a personal observation.

On top of killing it musically, lyrically and vocally on “Burnt Bridges & Cut Ties”, the production on each track is super-tight and solid. Tee-Jay does an incredible job of satisfying the listener with his word play and soundscapes. Throughout the tracks, you never know what he is going to say or how he is going to sing it. If you love urban music, this is a must have; melodies, rhythm, soul and rhyme, are all done so well.

Tee-Jay is way ahead of the pack. In fact, he is the pack, considering he does it all – between singing and rapping! “Burnt Bridges & Cut Ties” is a nice and balanced mix of R&B and Hiphop. The album has a textured, atmospheric blend to which you just lay back and take it all in.

Tee-Jay has cross-pollinated the urban genres with his tasty compositions and with the release of “Burnt Bridges & Cut Ties”, he leaves the hip-hop and R&B world salivating in anticipation of his next album!

OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUDFACEBOOKYOUTUBE

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