Album Review: Enjoy The Ride

Enjoy The Ride showcases Rei’s diversity and prowess as a musician and producer with its mix of rap, pop, R&B and UK flavour, it’s a fusion of innovative styles. Written over the past 2 years, mixed and mastered by Kog Studio’s Chris Chetland and supported by NZ On Air, this project is a musical ride in itself. “I used to put a lot of my success and happiness into external career achievements, like stream numbers or awards. Enjoy The Ride is about learning to have fun in the process, rather than being always hung up on end goals.”

The album sounds absolutely phenomenal, polished and refined. Not only that, but each track has a character that showcases what Rei is capable of. From the opening track Die Happy Feat. Rydah, which has an energetic feel to it in the chorus, great rap and cadence during the verse, then moving into tracks like Chasing The Sun Feat. Isadora which is more poppy, yet still sounds and fits with the aesthetic of the albums sound.

As mentioned, every track has a character. The third track Hoki Mai / Come Back will feel familiar to you yet it stands out as a feel-good track to have playing during summer. The way te reo is seamlessly interwoven into a lot of the tracks is fantastic. Hearing catchy tracks like this will have people singing as well and learning at the same time.

One of the stand out tracks to me is Who I Am which is an honest dialogue about everything that is happening in the world right now while still being able to know who you are. The story telling isn’t here on this track alone. It is everywhere. Rei’s voice and delivery is excellent. It is right up there as some of the best I have heard in this genre coming out of NZ. I hope that this gets attention overseas as I feel people should feel this honest vibe.

“I never made music for a silly critic.” Yes. I can tell. And that’s how it should be. Write because you love it, because you love making music and the experience of the process. All that is out on the table on this album. There is something here for everyone.