Music Review // Mikey Jose "AY NAKO!"

 

Mikey Jose has created a song in "AY NAKO!" that is as complex in styles as it is beautiful.  One of the most important things to keep in mind about this song musically is that everything Mikey Jose does makes sense.  You may hear a part of the song that sounds one way and then transitions into something else.  Though you may have not really thought about that being possible before, leaving you in a "How did the sound just do that" way, Mikey Jose just makes it work as the sound all flows so flawlessly.

Several sounds come in during the verses, chorus and eventually at the end as well.  But what impresses me the most is that at one point you might hear a sound and there will be another sound partnered with that which just makes the music so much deeper.   "AY NAKO!" begins with these beats that become this jazz feel.  It's somewhere between that jazz of hip hop and that jazz of funk.  This, in a large surface way, reminds me of Bruno Mars (funk) and A Tribe Called Quest (hip hop)  To hear both of those sounds at the same time is definitely powerful.

During the chorus the lyrics can come out rather quickly.  They have this flow which would have had me recording this song off of the radio back in the day and doing a lot of pausing and rewinding to catch them all.   Some of the lyrics are of a sexual nature- one line specifically stuck out to me about having him by the tail while giivng him head- and this all comes out in the end as one of the final lines of the song says: "Now I'm thnking about us / Is it real or lust?", which is a very real thought because sometimes the physical doesn't match the emotional.

As this song hits the chorus I hear different sounds.  Justin Timberlake is in here a little bit.  But, ultimately, the chorus reminds me of the Bee Gees.  Now, I know, as an older person that's not what everyone else might hear as I'm sure there is someone out there who is R&B that can be compared with this smooth singing, but it's who I hear most.  Still, "AY NAKO!" has this great electronic keys breakdown musically before the end.  This song has a lot to take in, but thankfully you can listen to it as many times as needed.