Single review: Crystal Kay - Forever

Crystal feels guilty. Guilty that for the past 6 years she had given us a messy string of single releases; which swayed between being everything, to sounding like supermarket Christmas fodder a little too casually. Long ass gaps between releases which consisted of a best album, followed by a mini album, followed by a studio album which featured half of the mini album and a dump truck of filler was the last straw. Crystal knows she done f**ked up. Which is why she's released "Forever". A song about what she can 'see in [our] eyes' and some tribal shit going on that you can ask your homie Rafiki to hold a baby in the air to.

"Forever" continues Crystal's now hat-trick trend of 'I'mma give you dat new-new, which be sounding like my old-old, but with a new ass beat that's so fly you will want to kill yo'self'. Sounding like a fusion of "Superman", "Delicious na kinyoubi" and "Haru arashi" all in one, "Forever" should be a recipe for the best song in the galaxy. An out of this world planet of awesome unto itself which is so good that Galactus would anally penetrate himself with it just to make sure he really feels it. Amazing on paper, but less so in reality. "Forever" doesn't have the terminal disease healing properties of "Haru arashi", but it does have the power to leave selected hoes bald and reaching for a wig. A wig that they'd have to wrestle CK down to the floor to retrieve before they could so much as get a hand on it. On second thought "Forever" is what you'd get if Janet Jackson's "Together again" were to have sex with The Lion king. Sweet lyrics, a dance beat and some tribal ish with a stomp so stank and chants so infectious that you have to take it back to Africa and throw shoes off with the dance moves. This is the charm of "Forever". It's not amazing on a first listen, but it feels like home. It's feels like somewhere you could belong. It feels familiar. And even if you're unsure of how much you like it, you know that you do. And even if you're not sold on it now, you know that you will be in time.

As is always the case with Crystal's songs, "Forever" is meticulously produced. But the song never really peaks or hits you with an aural assault despite feeling as though it's building towards one. You expect the bridge to explode into a shower of jelly beans, sunshine, lollipops, gum and for Crystal to belt the shit out of a note, before the song switches up a key for a refrain, all the while Crystal is ad-libbing and screaming bitches under tatami mats. But instead, the bridge creeps up and then decides it can't be bothered and then snuffs it back into the chorus...and then the song ends. You're left in a heap on the floor wondering why the Japanese philharmonic orchestra didn't come in with some stings to savour that shit (because we know Crystal does the damn thing with a string section) and why Crystal did you like that. If I were to describe "Forever" using an analogy, it would be that the song is a slow wank. It feels good, but it's never going to leave you a quivered mess and reaching for a kleenex. The whole thing feels so anti-climactic and this isn't helped by the preceding singles featuring complete shifts and beat switches during their bridge sections. "Superman" threw down a thunderous dance switch and "Delicious na kinyoubi" wub-wubbed 'til the wheels fell off and even threw in an extra chorus to sweeten the deal before ending.

Despite my short-plop-doo-doo on the song, I really like "Forever". It has a charm about it as Crystal's songs always do (even the rubbish ones). It's fun, it's nice, its upbeat and it's so Dance club and Summer ready. But despite being a solid song, it's missing something. It's not something which makes or breaks the song. But you are left with an overwhelming feeling of 'I like it, but...'.

"Forever" is a solid single and will act as a great opening to her album. Despite its shortcomings, Crystal has delivered yet another great single to add to her discography and end her Vivid single run on a high. Crystal has her shit together, which is refreshing to hear as a fan after that Spin the music mess.

RATING: 7.5 / 10