After almost two years of silence, Khalid finally dropped his highly anticipated album “Scenic Drive” on Dec 3, 2021. In popular Khalid fashion, the order of his tracks exudes a specific purpose intended for his audience with this one surrounding the idea of tranquil late night drives. 

Moving away from his pop roots and beginning to become the soul and R&B connoisseur that he is now, Khalid has accredited this album to his ever maturing self as he continues to navigate his own creativity accompanied by the world around him.

“This tape is a perfect representation of the person I became over the years, but also the person who I was at the beginning,” said Khalid. He also describes the album as centering “around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connected but emotionally disconnected.”

Setting the mood of the album, the first track, “Intro,” opens with car doors slamming and the tuning of an old car radio. Passing a few of Khalid’s more well-known songs, the radio finally lands on a static free station. Alicia Keys’ smooth voice takes over as she calmly reminds listeners to “sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.” The next song on Khalid’s queue goes by the name “Present” as it centers around the idea of being present in the moment. Following suit with most of his tracks, this one can also be labeled as a love song, while also holding a very Khalid-feeling tune. 

The next seven songs, again following his pattern, are mostly composed of love songs, whether it be primarily for physical or emotional reasons. Playing it safe with this album, Khalid seemingly creates an effortlessly flowing collection of R&B tunes, highlighting romantic and lovelorn feelings. However, that is the problem. These nine songs seem to perfectly flow into sounding like every other one of his songs from any album. 

Incorporating many other artists that fit his vibe such as 6lack, Lucky Daye and Smino, Khalid’s album composed of only nine tracks puts his vocal range on full display. Despite his calming and ever soothing voice, none of these songs contain any standout lyrics, leading to the deduction that this album will not reach the high musical caliber of his previously released collections