This album was released on November 8th this year. Smino’s first album, blkswn, was released back in 2017, and it received a lot of critical acclaim. I thought it was a pretty great project. I didn’t end up reviewing it for whatever reason, but I enjoyed it a lot. I don’t think it was a perfect album though. It suffered from the same problems that this new album suffers from. NØIR is definitely a good album. I just don’t think it shows that much growth from Smino. It just sounds like a slightly less interesting version of blkswn to me. My main gripe with that project is the length. I have the same issue with this one. They’re both 18 tracks long. That’s too long for me. I also wish they were a little more varied sonically. All the songs are very melodic. Smino’s music is pretty accessible. I think most people will like it. It’s a pretty good project sonically. However, it really does not need to be 18 tracks long. In my opinion, the album starts off really well.

The lead single, L.M.F., is really fuckin’ great. I love the melodic hook & fast paced flow, and the production is fantastic. The third track, Klink, is easily my favorite song on the album. The production is incredible on that song. However, most of the other tracks don’t really stand out from one another. I don’t think anything on this album is actually bad, with the exception of one song. In my opinion, Krushed Ice is the worst song Smino has ever made. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that I’m not a fan of Valee. His verse on Krushed Ice was wack, and, to be honest, so was Smino’s verse. I don’t care for the simplistic, bass-heavy production either. The album as a whole is pretty good sonically, but when it comes to the lyrics, it leaves something to be desired. I liked most of the songs though. The tracks I disliked are Tequila Mockingbird, Merlot, Hoopti, Low Down Derrty Blues, Krushed Ice & MF Groove. It’s definitely a step down from blkswn, but I still think it’s pretty good overall. Honestly, if he trimmed it down to ten tracks it’d be a lot better. I enjoyed it though. It’s good.

Favorite Song: Klink
Least Favorite Song: Krushed Ice

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