Porn star turned singer-songwriter, Heistheartist, molds a lush and intimate atmosphere driven with an emotionally heartfelt approach to singing and songwriting, weaving in, out and between pop, folk and R&B.
The opening track, “Bright Ideas Part 2,” quickly establishes an acoustic guitar-filled sound scape: the guitar becomes both a drum kit driving the song’s rhythm with mellow, muted plucks with such luscious production and engineering making it sound as if you’re surrounded by guitars playing right up against your ears. Vocally, Heistheartist freely adlibs an R&B-esque, eyes-closed, full feeling strokes of melody, fading in and out, riding above the percussive and quasi-melodic acoustic guitar ostinato, descending from the enveloping melodic adlib free space every now and then with some suggestive spoken inserts, “these hoes ain’t loyal, they got bright ideas.” Is he depressed about women going disloyal on him? Is he just having a good time making music and having fun with those words? From the music itself, you cannot tell—nor do you have to. The irresolution adds spice to an already-hypnotic vibe that portrays an image of a man with his guitar, completely immersed in the feel of what he’s playing, eyes shut tight, where each melodic line pouring out from the heart feels like another release of energy following another release of energy, encasing the listener into the alluring sonic space that Heistheartist paints.
The following 2 tracks, “Ooh Aah” and “In Public,” are created in collaboration with Zieme The Dream from the Force MD’s in their duo “I Had A Dream.” “Ooh Aah” turns up the heat and dims the lights in the room, with a repetitive layering of voices sexually entrancing a foreplay-teasing contact, perfect for the lovers’ slow dance in a candlelit setting. The energy becomes calmer and more soothing than in “Bright Ideas Part 2,” as if to close the night with your lover. Kiss-like percussive snaps, shimmering bells, enveloping up-and-down sweeps, together with licks of acoustic guitar sliding, absorbs the listener into a mesmeric, affectionate and subtle ambiance.
As if immediately changing to a faster gear, “In Public” sets off on a completely different wavelength. Still subtle, still ambient, still mellow and affectionate, but out of the bedroom and into the public: Heistheartist’s collaboration with Zieme The Dream here acquires a much more passionate and extroverted form. The vocals clearly express the desire to show their love to their partner to the world by holding hands and kissing in public. More optimistic, outgoing and resolute in nature than “Bright Ideas Part 2” and “Ooh Aah,” “In Public” makes use of brighter instrumentation, most notably a Rhodes-style organ sound coming in relatively sparsely adding to the positive vibes, as well as percussive shakers, and an often-climactic rhythmic build-up leading to the hook that often repeats, “I wanna hold your hand when we’re in public, I wanna kiss your lips when we’re in public, I wanna hold your clothes when we’re in public, I wanna show you how I feel, and let you know my love is real.”
Heistheartist shows he’s got what it takes to lift the heart, fuel an intimate optimism into his listeners, and his music is an invitation to enter a subtle, harmonious world of passionate affection.
