Album Review: “Dragon Mentality” by Elley Duhé

If anybody has heard Zedd’s new single “Happy Now” then you might be a little familiar with the artist I’ll be talking about today. Elley Duhé is a new American artist and she has this cute, little happy (no pun intended) voice that does instantly brighten you up after hearing it for the first time.

Elley released her first album in late October, and it’s called “Dragon Mentality” and as I am really curious to know how she came up with it, I think the cover itself is absolutely beautiful! The album is again, another short list of tracks. I am really hating the fact that record companies are releasing albums as an extended play standard number of songs, but I guess to an artist that’s worked their asses to get there at that moment, it didn’t matter how many would actually make it to the end result. It irritates me of course, but I can’t do anything about it!

 So, “Lost My Mind” has a slow start, but I liked that kind of introduction to any album but for a new artist, it’s important to have a mild opening to not freak out the listener. This was an ideal opener, as it was soulful but had a really good pop-y quality and you could hear a sassy-ness to her voice in this as well. Second is, “Fever” and I thought the usage of this exotic type of sound throughout was really fun! It doesn’t sound like the normal pop song that you hear on the radio and that’s what I loved the most about it.

We move on to a track called “Way Down Low” and it’s a fast song, at least the beat is as it has this electronica mixed with a pop sound going on. The tempo is really well balanced since she sings pretty quick, the actual speed of the beat itself is actually kind of slow in places, so it was cool to see this happening and not feel like it was chaotic in the process. Next there’s “Counterfeit” and her voice is a bit sassy but I liked it because the song was a little gritty and it needed that extra edge to it. And then there’s “$$$$” and this is another song with an unique beat, I feel like it would be perfect for anyone dancing the Argentine Tango or Paso Doble on Dancing With The Stars because the beat is just gorgeous and dare I say, seductive in every aspect. I really love that violin solo a lot. It just brings that sex appeal to it. I actually wasn’t going to review this at all. I had deleted it off of my Spotify and everything, but then a couple of days later I was watching music video and I ultimately decided I needed to bring it back.

The sixth song is “Starz” and this is sort of slower and I’m so kind there’s at least one of these types of songs on this because everybody needs a break of those heartier beats. This has a soft appeal that a lot of people could get behind on it. However, I feel like she has read my mind over the years and the violin is pretty prominent in the beat, and instead of giving it a sexy vibe, it actually helps with the somber beat. Lastly, we have “Savior” and we go back to the upbeat, kind of hip hop type of sound; although it isn’t exactly in your face as the others. I’m glad her bright voice is loud and the tempo is sort of slow. It’s a good way to end this whole journey.

Honestly, this whole thing was haunting me a bit, because I feel like I talk a lot about the famous musicians. I don’t really devote my time and space on my blog for new artists, so maybe that can be something I can do for 2019! I’m really glad I decided to listen to this album. I thought it was really different then the regular pop artists come up with, and I liked the fact that I felt like everything that I was hearing was a real instrument. That’s the one thing I hate about pop music, sounds can be altered so much that you really end up craving real sounds again.

Have you listened to Elley Duhé’s first album “Dragon Mentality” yet? If you have, what were some of your thoughts about it? I’d really like to see what you liked or didn’t care for for this?