Track Review: Jessie Reyez & 6LACK “IMPORTED”

Jessie Reyez’s voice especially does wonder when pushed to the edge. The Toronto singer/songwriter broke through the scene with her blunt, cheeky lyricism and a raspy voice capable of tearing apart every bit of reserved pretensions. “IMPORTED”, Reyez’s duet with 6LACK, finds her borrowing a fling to remedy a relationship that got stuck. Built up by 6LACK’s lukewarm crooning, her verse gets unbearably confessional from the get go. Right after a quick sour humor on intoxication, she temporarily relinquishes the strength to pull herself together vocally, letting the vulnerability on full display with an intimate ASMRish hush. Fresh off some random loving, she could barely hide the outpouring mix of disbelief, shame, devaluation and regrets under the covers. Therefore her voice begins to squeeze out notes so emotionally raw that they are spiraling out of restraint. “IMPORTED” marks another moment of revelation for Reyez’s voice as a piece of rough diamond: once cut to the right angle, it just gives off breathtakingly powerful glow.