"Facetious" by 5ve album review (written by Jhantu Randall)

The word “Facetious” is defined as the act of treating serious issues with deliberate inappropriate humor, so I can see where it can strike a rather visceral reaction. It’s this particular trait that I happen to enjoy in music if the artist is able to do it correctly without coming off as condescending or just down right mean. Rappers such as Redman, Ludacris and even early Eminem come to mind when it comes to having this quality and giving it a mass appeal. Needless to say, I was sent the link to an album with the name Facetious by 5ve & Gadjet.

With an album carrying that name my expectations were to be humored, possibly offended and entertained overall. The title track kicks off with a good energy as 5ve’s verses show a comfortable delivery coupled with a few punchlines that are worth a playback. The song “Strange Ways” almost comes off as a satirical spin on modernizing doo-wop in it’s chorus as 5ve states: “It's nice to meet you, hello my name's Quinn, I'm here to teach you that 5ve is you're friend."

“Breathe” is a track that stands out, with a melodic yet bouncy beat the lyrics talk about a sense of struggle and the appreciation of blessings which I find intriguing if the duality is expressed the right way. The next part focuses on how one strives to make it in a profession where envy, hatred and petty jealousy can easily be monetized and exploited, it’s in these songs that I always sense a truer representation of the artist himself. That’s why, personally I tend to gravitate to songs that have a slower beat that requires an artist to be as open as they were the day they sat down and wrote it out. On “Grump” the standout to me is one of the featured artist who goes by the name Small Hands. His delivery and vocal pitch just kind of resonates with you as you listen. “Darkside” changes the formula up a tad bit, replacing an energetic beat with guitar riffs and a voice that cuts through and demands some attention. “Push” returns to a more atmospheric sound as 5ve spits about pushing through regardless of the circumstances you either find yourself in or just merely perceive yourself to be dealing with. The interlude is a calm walk into the track “Kick Rocks” featuring Shawn Keys. The piano on this track is definitely a welcomed surprise as the lyrics are, pardon my wording here, quite facetious. “Days are Gray” is brilliantly put together as its almost a glee like choir sound on the chorus as they sing about dark days on their way, but like most of the album it holds you in that moment. You listen just to hear what could possibly come next as this project is full of little surprises. The rest continues this unexpectedly exciting album with “Overthinking” being one of the tracks I kept gravitating to. It’s that concept which I really like to hear about, as overthinking is one of the most universally relatable concepts there is.

Overall, there were a few moments that I found myself not really paying too much attention to, but the standout moments were definitely fun and not too spaced out. 5ve and Gadjet named this project “Facetious” and in that expect they cleared the bar without breaking a sweat.