Dawn Richards - New Breed

Dawn Richards - New Breed

Dawn Richards is the definitive R’n’B OG (slang). Having cut her teeth in 2004, back when the genre was taking the world by storm, New Breed is the latest in a series of stellar releases. Telling the story of how Richards, the woman, was forged in the fires of heartbreak and lies but emerged from Louisiana with ceaseless confidence and relentless self-belief. The story of a journey from her home of JonLee Drive to stardom, New Breed is more akin to a superhero origin movie, and like every origin story, it comes heavy with heaps of joy and tragedy, victory and defeat and is outstanding from start to finish.

New Breed is fraught with drama in every bar, as Richards pulls no punches when describing her campaign. Opening with a spoken word intro that flows into the eponymous second track, Richard illustrates a chronicle of her arrival as a person and a personality, all attitude and liquid beats. This is immediately followed up by the juxtaposition of spaces, which leans into the darkness as the singer details the struggles she faced as a minority. Both in race and gender (“I had so many men in power telling me I was too brave, too confident, too black, too ugly, too thin”). And yet, nothing feels like a defeat. The seamlessness present throughout New Breed, the constant rhythm of movement, is synonymous with her determination. It’s been the one constant in her life and remains the one constant throughout the album. While dealing with heartbreak or triumph, the constant sense of continuity, spurred by a mixture of Richards soulful vocals and frosty beats is paramount.

Richards is careful to craft songs that shun pity while retaining their integrity. While she varies between bitterly brokenhearted (“Ima go, Ima do this without you”) and colourfully vibrant (“Let’s get dressed in lavender sunsets, let’s get dressed, wear our dreams like converse”), she also maintains an unflinching rawness. Unfurling the pair of past and present selves simultaneously, allows Richard to examine and explain her life, both to us and herself. The tight harmonies and tense beats often interlope with references to her home of New Orleans and her heritage, compounding her sense of individuality and alienation. In contrast, her most expansive pitches and infused themes (shades, for instance) are often declarations of self-love and assurance. The all-inclusive approach sees Richards try, and succeed, in synthesising her experiences together cohesively, which results in some of her best work yet. 

Richards propensity to lay herself bare amidst a bedsheet of sparkling electronic funk and harsh, soulful confessions is a glorious sight to behold. Her blend of extensive and intimate gives New Breed the playful nature of Chinese Whispers and the subtly of a Cardi B Instagram live stream. An emotionally vulnerable showcase framed by trap infused R’n’B and impassioned vocals, Richards origin story has all the makings of a blockbuster.