“Roll Over” by Avi Kytes is a soulful love song full of subtle production tricks. Each tight background vocal and percussive flourish adds to the dreamy, smile-inducing atmosphere of this track. As the verses and choruses pass by, the textural integrity gets fuller and busier, eventually culminating in a motif-driven, overflow of elegance and artistry. It’s just a classically well-made song.
A nuanced bongo trill throws us straight into the song: “Roll over / I’m getting tired of the side of your shoulder / We don’t need to say much / We can forget about each other.” Avi’s voice is smooth and sultry, just barely outshining the genius guitar work bending and arpeggiating behind him. Already, we’re handed a boatload of musicianship in just three, subtle textures.
The verse introduces new, low-pitched octaves of the melody and a swarm of lovely harmonies. Avi courses through a few falsetto runs and erupts in another chorus, this time with a full drum groove and some different harmonic choices. Each chorus after this collects more dynamically gratifying sounds until the final, climactic hook.
Stay tuned for a bit of delectable trumpet at the end! It’s the perfect finale for an already relaxing and endearing R&B track. If you’d like to hear more from Avi Kytes, follow him on your choice of streaming service or social media platform. Or, at least download “Roll Over!” It’ll be a delightful addition to your summer playlist, and a welcome earworm for your daily drive, workout, or walk.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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