Review by Jamie Glenn
Jay-Z who? Shako brings in some soulful vibes with his new release of “99 Problems,” a heat-packing track with longing and desire for a love interest. This song delivers a diverse instrumentation that combines both acoustic beats and complex lyricism in a seamless effort by Shako.
This acoustic pop-leaning track offers a combination of guitar, piano, backup vocals and electronic drum clap. The entire song gives listeners a sense of feel-good emotion when this track hits their ears and gives off a deep Queens, NY style vibe. The lyrical content throughout this track doesn’t fall short either with lyrics like, “ One to the three to the four / I got 99 problems, ‘bout my dough / I just can’t put the pieces back together, no no no / It seems that everything is wrong for me / My problems keep chasin me / but she’s the only one I’m living for,” implies just how deep the love is.
“This was the very first beat that my producer Malcolm Fong and I worked on,” says Shako. “I have always wanted my music to sound like a combination of the old and new and wanted this song to sound as if Stevie Wonder was an upcoming artist today.”
Lyrics like, “Could feel long or an extra mistake / I can’t let you go baby I would feel so much pain / and I know these words have been sung before, but I feel something,” gives listeners a chance to hear Shako’s amazing vocal range as he lands a variety of high notes. Shako is speaking to listeners directly with lyrics like, “ You don’t need to feel no pity / cause I got a smile on my face that no one can break, no no. / She don’t believe that I’m a shooting star / but she believe in this guitar / what more can I ask for, I got a dream and her.” At this point in the track, Shako lets listeners hear a much more personal side that really helps make this song more cohesive.
“The lyrics of the song were inspired by a couple that I saw while sitting on the subway in NYC who were very much so in the honeymoon stage. It seemed as though money and the cares of the world did not bother them as long as they had one another’s love,” comments Shako.
This love inspired track is upbeat enough to play in almost any setting, Shako’s strong sense of lyricism matched alongside a colorful instrumentation and confident execution makes Shako a force to be reckoned with. The song itself reminds us of Dave East or “Taylor Galford’s track “Tht 1”. We see a bright future for Shako as he finds his way through the world of music.
Follow SHAKO