Tropic
Bittersweet
(Tropic Music)

Attempting to roll the listener around the highs and lows of a break-up, Brooklyn-based R&B duo Tropic (Jarel Hill on production and Jo-B Sebastian singing and composing) gives forth Bittersweet.

The titles track opens, a snappy high-energy groove featuring Jo-B Sebastian’s falsetto pretty much emoting all over. “Nostalgia” has a cool-gated key rise and fall, and a lower vocals that work wonders against the metallic keys backbeat. Things move along here with a sense of urgency, informing what I feel could be a real hit.

“Breathe Again” sees Sebastian using his falsetto yet again (more or less an R&B trope), this one sounding like a Michael Jackson tune to me. The throw away key sounds fight the vocals a bit too much for my taste, but once again Hill and Sebastian create a good tune.

“Over You” is big ballad territory, with Sebastian singing low, his true sex appeal comes across as the duo throws in lots of running keys and percussion, on what might be the most commercial tune here. Things open up into a real dance mover after the first chorus and we are off and running. There is a near cacophony of key sounds here (the boys do like to play with their machines), but it’s another solid tune before “Bittersweet Redux” ends the record.