R&B singer, Joyce Wrice, centers the theme of love and heartbreak relationship insecurities in her debut album, “Overgrown.” The Los Angeles musician defined this album as a garden she has been creating through real-life experiences. This nostalgic terrace did not flourish overnight and the steady consistency in creating a pleasing body of work shows in each track. 

I first discovered Wrice in 2018 when she performed her jazzy single, “Good Morning” on COLORS, a YouTube platform where musicians from around the world perform their top hits. Joyce was no exception as she fluidly rode over the song’s silky beat. From there, I was led to listen to her 2016 song “Stay Around” and from then, I recognized that her sonically pleasing voice would be a staple in my playlist.

“Overgrown”  flows between groovy instrumentals, booming beats, and delicate ballads. The mixture of different arrangements not only adds character to the 14-track project but highlights how versatile her storytelling is. In an interview with Vice, Wrice expressed that tailoring her real-life experiences in different ways was important to her and that the record label executed it well. 

Wrice planted special sounds in this album that embrace early R&B. Her recent single “On One” featuring Freddie Gibbs was inspired by the guitar chords on Brandy’s song “Best Friend” and pays homage to Floetry’s 2002 hit “Say So” with Wrice’s track “So So Sick.”To top it off, Wrice breaks up the usual 3-minute tracks on the album with rhythmic interludes.

Despite featuring an impressive roster of artists such as Masego, Lucky Daye, Kaytranada and more, Wrice shows incredible grace on her solo tracks. Wrice controls the early 2000s meets modern R&B narrative with easy conviction and charming symphonies. It is clear that this genre of music is right up her alley. “Overgrown” is out now and streaming on all platforms.