Motivation Album Review

It’s been six long years since Tyree’s debut album Now Or Never (2007) and his much anticipated sophomore opus Motivation calls on all of that experience and maturity into a project that encapsulates Tyree and his current struggles to maintain a positive outlook on life and career. ”It’s got a lot of songs that will motivate you. The reason I named it Motivation is because since Now Or Never, it’s been so long to drop this album. “There are heaps of motivational songs, emotional ones too – A side of me you didn’t hear on Now Or Never.”

The lead single I Do It For My City featuring Sir T and Young Sid (produced by Khaled of Cash Money Records), is a personal ode to Tyree’s home of South Auckland. ”Since Now Or Never my life consists of music, family and where I’m from.” Tyree explains “That’s what I’m all about, and that’s what I wanted to portray in the first single. I wanted people to know that’s what matters to me. [Seeing the world] made me respect home more.”

In Fighter Tyree brought back his Smashproof band mate Young Sid and teamed up with relative new comer Stella to construct a beautifully multi dimentional track that has elements of aggression but not in a negative way, aggressive in the respect that it forces you to interact with the underlying message, but is over shadowed by pure power in the vocals. The two Smashproof bandmates reintroduce their third counterpart Deach on Get By which just adds another level of lyrical rhythm and makes us a little but excited to see when the new Smashproof album will hit the shelves.

Take Me Away featuring FiveA and Scribe, Hold On and Always Come Back To You take on a little bit more of that sweet and sour or sweet and aggressive styling, as Tyree and Pieter T compliment each other so well in those two tracks. The whole album is an ode to music and musicians motivation, to help, inspire and take direction from each other to create more natural pacific hip hop. 

The most impressive track features a Legend of NZ Hip Hop and R&B, Che Fu. Survivor comes out of the blue as a really uplifting track that talks about the journey and future for Tyree. It would be as close to a Ballad you can get on a Hip Hop album including those smooth emotive lyrics. I Want It All may encompass that feeling of Motivation the most. Tyree has definitely gotten back his motivation to construct a powerful R&B/Hip Hop album that might earn him back the title of New Zealand’s best male vocalist.