Mascarade – GAYANCE (2023) – Album Review

Album: Mascarade

Artist: GAYANCE

Label: Rhythm Section

Release Date: March 3, 2023

I feel like I’m late to the party with this album, but honestly I’m just glad I finally showed up to the party at all. What matters now is that it’s playing and it’s not coming off repeat anytime soon. Mascarade is a breath of fresh air – an absolute escape into the beautiful world created by Aïsha C. Vertus. What’s great about this album is that you can feel the aromas of collaborations – it’s so thick and wonderful. Vertus’s vocals are rich and powerful, and at times very playful.

There’s jazz in its bones but more importantly this album feels like an absolute masterclass of what I’m looking for in modern R&B. Mascarade is tightly constructed but still feels lived-in. The production doesn’t sound calculated, but here’s no fat on this record. Nothing drags. Even the pieces (1996 Inner G {skit}) with low quality voice recordings (which I often feel are put in records just for fluff) fit so well with the feel of the album. A track will drift for a moment and then the next track will lock into something tight, something you didn’t realize you needed. Mascarade feels like a family dinner and the best of everything you love out of soul, jazz, R&B and even a bit of disco.

If I’m being honest, I hate reviewing great albums like this, because words are just way too mundane to explain the feelings you get when listening to a record like this – especially if it’s the first time. Vertus makes it clear what’s on their mind and we’re all just there to witness.

Absolute banger of an album. Highly recommended.