GIVĒON’s BELOVED album review: Yearning is back

GIVĒON in 2025. Image source: WBLS on Wikimedia Commons.

Orchestral R&B is officially back, with its devoted captain GIVĒON steering the ship with consistency and pride. The 30-year-old singer released his third studio album (excluding deluxe albums) last Friday 11 July, and I have had a few days to digest it and truly share my honest opinions. I have been a GIVĒON fan for about four years now, and have been extremely fond of his previous two albums. I appreciate his unique, rich and smooth tone that glides over the R&B, balladic accompaniment. I hoped that this new project would deliver similar but elevated sentiments, as this is his first album release since 2022.

The first track ‘MUD’ instantly made me feel warm and nostalgic, as the artist ushers us into his universe with strings that descend in tone whilst accelerating in tempo. The singer reminisces on a relationship with an ex-partner, and how they told undesirable stories about him to the world. He sheds light on a delusional ex by saying “you run my name through the mud / you be lying to yourself so much it sounds true”. I only wish this song could have been longer, perhaps offering an orchestral shift to really elevate into a cinematic moment for the closing of the track. I appreciate it as a self-assured opener nonetheless. 

Track 2, ‘RATHER BE” has to be a favourite of mine, with his jazzy, up-beat accompaniment bringing the piece together and helping it move along. GIVĒON’s honesty and ability to share things about himself that he may not feel proud of is something that audiences can relate to and thus feel a sense of connection to him. This track sees him admit he would “rather be a fool / than to start with somethin’ new”. This reluctance to let go of a toxic relationship because of its complexities, or the effort of finding someone new is articulated so beautifully with the singer’s signature silky runs. 

Moving on to another favourite track, as ‘RATHER BE’ and track 3 ‘TWENTIES’ were released as promotional singles prior to Friday. I can tell GIVĒON feels his strgonest and most comfortable when reminiscing on past relationships, as that is where some of his best conceptual ideas and lyrics have stemmed from. In this track, he ponders regret over wasting his twenties on a partner when it did not end up working out. This track feels most like the old GIVĒON, as I could see this comfortably seated in the tracklist for his past two albums.

Darker string open the next track ‘STRANGERS’, and I was glad to see the artist keep the consistency of the orchestral motif whilst not sacrificing modern R&B in the process. GIVĒON feels the same confusion and frustration that was present in ‘TWENTIES’, not being able to comprehend the quick change between being lovers and then having such a distance between them. He sings “we become strangers again / all because you can’t love me yet”, which shows his inability to let go of his past the same way his lover already has.

‘NUMB’ is another one of my favourites. It feels like here, the artist is at a loss after pouring out everything he had for someone, and now does not harbour those feelings at all, thus feeling numb. He sings about how “I don’t even feel the rain” and “don’t know the days, don’t know the nights”. This apathetic, depressive state is so raw and emotive that it stands out above the rest of the songs to me. You can hear the pain his GIVĒON’s voice, whilst he slides onto the piano scales effortlessly.

I was transported all the way back to GIVĒON’s first album with ‘I CAN TELL’. He did this with not only the sound, but the content of the song. His hubris is so prevalent here, claiming that he knows his ex’s new partner does not compare to him. In a Spotify interview, the artist spoke about his mood whilst writing ‘I CAN TELL’. He said: “If I had to describe the mood that I was in, it was arrogant, but in the most respectful way possible. I am good at reading body language, so I read what I saw and I wrote a song about it”. 

I assume ‘DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN’ is an interlude track for the album, being a shorter track that is dominated by accompaniment for the second half. I was not a huge fan of this song, as the ‘chorus’ felt like it was dragging, and not keeping up with the accompaniment. I am sure this was the intention, as GIVĒON sounds audibly hurt in the track whilst singing ‘diamonds for your pain / that’s a beautiful exchange”, but I am not a fan of this technique. I really appreciate the intention and message behind the song, just not its execution.

GIVĒON really brings it back for what immediately feels like a timeless classic with ‘KEEPER’. One thing that drew me to this track was the singer’s vulnerability, not only in the lyrics, but in his vocal performance, too. This is one of the few tracks where we get to hear the falsetto of his voice play more than an ad lib role. It serves the message where he finds it difficult to tell his ex about how he misses them. This song deplores so many classic balladic features, and GIVĒON just elevates it with his irreplaceable tone and vocal runs that are unmatched.

The next track ‘SIX:THIRTY’ is a short interlude that takes us out of the universe to hear GIVĒON talking about his own production, as he claims he is about to sing the next song in one take. This does work to gear us up to the next track, and felt nice to hear his talking voice, as this is a major motif in both of his previous albums, offering moments of clarity or comfort for the listener.

‘BACKUP PLAN’ offers us a jazzy, modern R&B fusion that slows the tempo down to embody a slow jam track. This is one of the first times the singer is talking about a current relationship. However, you guessed it, it is not a love song. To me, this song spoke most outwardly about the toxicity of the relationship, as GIVĒON notes there is “something different in the way you yell”, which feels to heartwrenching. He observes that his partner may have already mentally left the relationship, having a predetermined ‘backup plan’ in their mind. His classic voicemail ending feels like the GIVĒON signature on a track, and I think this track is definitely a strong contender for the next single.

Track eleven, ‘BLEEDING’ is in the top five for me. The sentiment reminds me of ‘NUMB’ as GIVĒON sings: “I’m bleeding for your love / yes I am”. The chorus repeats this line over and over, but it does not feel repetitive, it feels as though nothing more needs to be said. The artist pays attention to the characteristics of a strong ballad, and this sense of yearning is presented so beautifully it feels cinematic. This is a standout track on the album, a remarkable creation that deserves its appreciation.

Strings take the forefront of the next track ‘DON’T LEAVE’. The artist switches up slightly as he opens with “You’ve been working my nerves”, giving us a more confident, brazen GIVĒON to his previous sincerity. Nevertheless, he flows into a state of devotion and cool desperation for his lover to stay with him. As an album with no features, it was unexpected to hear an unknown female voice playing call and response with him to end the song. It felt out of place at first, but now it makes complete sense and helps to build the picture of the track so authentically.

‘AVALANCHE’ is GIVĒON’s most up-tempo track on this album. It almost feels chaotic, as his previous tracks are so stripped down and isolated. The accompaniment’s multitude of instruments and the singer’s fast vocals match the imagery of an avalanche, as he sings: “your love’s like an avalanche, I’m falling hard, and falling for you”. This is a beautiful love song that follows much darker, and less joyful tracks. It is a refreshing change of pace that has really great visual potential as well as auditory stimulation.

The closing track ‘GOOD BAD UGLY’ sums up the album perfectly. GIVĒON lists off a series of difficult questions for his partner like “Are you drinking to get numb / so you don’t have to hold your tongue?” This puts the relationship in dire circumstances, before he reveals that he loves her through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whilst the accompaniment is nothing to scream and shout about, it does feel authentically GIVĒON. I cannot imagine any other singer delivering on this track. I enjoyed his flow switch-ups, and the overall sentiment provided a strong closer for a strong album. I am still undecided as to whether this tops his second album Give or Take, but I guess time will tell.