Music Review: Shadi G - Disconnection

Shadi G opts for an all-out aural assault with her new single “Disconnection” which streamlines her sound into a sleek and shiny R&B rocket while she takes a slightly more eclectic approach to her music.

The singer, songwriter and producer currently based in Gothenburg, Sweden, doesn’t stray far from bedroom slowjam, it’s hard to resist the pulsing beats, jungle-like rhythms, and a soaring vocal line that builds into an epic chorus. Shadi G’s at her best when she is being herself and her undeniably sexy voice is perfect for making smooth, R&B ballads.

“Disconnection” is a sad song that makes you want to stop and cry a little. Although personal drama ain’t in it, Shadi G keeps it simple without shirking from complexity by harnessing as its subject matter the most simple yet nuanced thing we humans strive to experience: love.

The straightforward yet vulnerable sexuality conveyed in the lyrics, transmitted through Shadi G’s crystalline, airy falsetto, births an immersive, sensual experience for the listener that is sustained through the entirety of the record. The words and vocal deliveries she uses to explore intimacy are sometimes direct and straightforward.

Shadi G develops a singular style and artistic ethos that will appeal to both the sonic mainstream and the fringe alike. She’s like an undeniable force of nature — the extract of R&B itself, elemental and slippery like an invisible, omnipresent particle in the air.

And while this mix of qualities make Shadi G seem more distinctive and unique than a more solidly traditional R&B diva might, it seems like she gets R&B at its core, that she’s invested in exploring all the ways that music can move you, and this becomes quite evident on “Disconnection.”