On their debut album Chemistry, Caplin & Messiah showcase a genre-fluid and cultured appeal that is packed full of personality and charm
Chemistry feels like the perfect title for the debut album of producer/songwriter Paul Caplin and powerhouse vocalist Zeeteah Massiah under their project Caplin & Massiah, a real-life couple who’s spark seems to transcend from their personal life into their work together crafting genre-bending and immersive sounds.
The album kicks off with ‘The Way’, a gloriously synthy and expansive introduction to the album that explores a relationship that seems to tick all of the boxes that you’ve been looking for and change everything. There is a vibrancy to Capin’s soundscape and a seductive allure to Massiah’s vocals that makes for an enticing and rousing introduction to the LP that establishes the chemistry between the two and their switched on sound and appeal.
Following the brief interlude ‘Champagne In Your Mouth’, ‘Dance To It’ a defiant and powerful track that sees the duo delving into some of the struggle and hardships that we go through and turning them into something altogether empowering and fierce. There is a really fun afrobeats feel the sound here that gives it this dancey and fun charm throughout, echoing this idea of using dance as a form of expressionism and escape from the darker sides of life.
Collaborator Dynamite is introduced on the aptly-titled ‘Dynamite’, another brief interlude that leads into ‘Stardust’, a track that sees him sharing vocal duties with Massiah as they explore a lighter and more laid-back side to the their sound. The range of cultures and styles that fill out the soundscape make for a really transformative and captivating listening experience, and give an even more spiritual feel to a track that is packed full of positive energy.
The dynamic and emotional appeal of breakout single ‘Shaped Like You’ follows, a track that showcases the duo at their catchiest and most pop-forward facing. There is a punchiness to the soundscape and the melodies here that feels impactful and rousing throughout, while Zeetah Massiah’s vocals provide an emotionally charged and resonating edge throughout.
Dynamite re-emerges on ‘It’s Ok’, another track with an emotional core, this time tackling the fallout of a relationship that has seen better days. The reassuring nature of the chorus and the compelling nature of Massiah’s consistently excellent vocals keep things feelings grounded and raw, and Dynamite’s inclusion adds another dimension to the sound.
The reggae-infused ‘Set Us Free’ is a track that has a really engrossing feel to it throughout, melding its impossibly catchy style with lyrics surrounding themes like liberation in a way that feels inspiring and cathartic throughout. The album already has felt absolutely packed full of different stylistic ideas and genres explored, while never feeling disjointed or muddled as a result.
The seductive and sultry ‘Chocolate’ is a track that has a unique sweetness created both through the creativity of the sound and another inspired vocal performance. It’s something that has been said multiple times before in this review but the chemistry of Caplin & Messiah and the ways that they compliment each others styles feels telepathic and inch-perfect, making for focussed and seamlessly crafted tracks where everything feels perfectly in sync.
The duo collaborate with Danglin, a former lead singer of The Wailers, on ‘You Don’t Know’, a track that utilises their distinctive sound and range of styles to delve into Massiah’s experiences as a black woman, and the way that her life and the things she has been through can’t be understood by somebody who hasn’t lived that life. There are some really poignant and thoughtful moments here, and the weight and power in the vocals of both Danglin and Massiah really paint a memorable image.
Things immediately take a more funky and upbeat turn on ‘Feel This Way Again’, a track that has this effortlessly danceable and off-beat appeal as they wonder if the euphoric way that they feel is something that they’ll ever experience again, whereas the more subdued ‘Hard To Imagine’ is a really nice look at the way that they have impacted each others lives and left them unable to picture what things were like before or will be like after, both tracks showcasing difference sides and facets of their sound to rousing effect.
The album closes with the final Dynamite collaboration ‘Passing Through’, a thoughtful look at life and the brief time that we spend here, imploring listeners to make the most of it and try to smile and be happy wherever they can. This track is a really charming end to an album that is packed full of similarly thoughtful and engrossing moments throughout its duration, slaloming through genres like soul, jazz, rock, afrobeats, reggae, house, electro-pop, hip hop, reggaeton to build a sound that feels entirely their own, reflecting their own cultures to tell their story in their way, and it makes the narratives and journeys feel all the more immersive as a result.
