In his latest single, titled “Pretty Cry,” multitalented singer and songwriter Sherman de Vries melds classic hip-hop beats with a swanky R&B harmony that is powered almost entirely by his seductive lead vocal, and though he’s become known in the last year for throwing down quite the velvety verse every time he hits the studio, this track is definitely one of the best that he’s attached his moniker to thus far in his career. Aside from an ominous, albeit boldly colorful, acoustic guitar melody that greets us at the onset of the song, de Vries undeniably dominates over every frame of “Pretty Cry” with a singular serenade that will occupy the minds of anyone who happens to encounter it this August.
SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/album/5mIMZ2orPyKeCLn1kLz2dI
Instrumentally speaking, this track is rather minimalist in nature compared to the first couple of singles that we heard from its composer, but I wouldn’t say that it’s not a good look for his sound. Truth be told, Sherman de Vries doesn’t need a lot of elaborate pop beats or synthetic harmonies to build upon when he steps up to the microphone, and particularly in the case of a measured R&B ballad lie this one; he’s got everything he needs in those golden pipes of his. He shouldn’t limit himself to one style of play over another moving forward, but I really like the sound of this stripped-down variety of grooving. He’s got the right voice to make it sting as hard as an adrenaline-packed punk rock anthem would, and that’s not the easiest of tasks by any stretch of imagination.
The string parts in the intro to “Pretty Cry” are arguably as brooding as any portion of de Vries’ vocal performance is, and personally I found them to be a welcome inclusion amidst a song that, overall, sticks to a pretty black and white pop framework. It’s something that he needs to work on breaking away from in the future, but for now I wouldn’t say that it’s enough to brand this single formulaic at all. Sherman de Vries has rocketed out of obscurity in the last decade, and given how adept he is at this early stage of his career, I haven’t the slightest doubt in my mind as to whether or not he’s going to be a mainstream powerhouse once the 2020s come into focus.
SOUNDCLOUD: soundcloud.com/shermandevries/sherman-de-vries-pretty-cry
After listening to this new track, it’s easy to understand why Sherman de Vries has been experiencing the meteoric rise to fame that he has since releasing a chart-topping set of five singles back in 2010, and I would highly recommend its beats to anyone who has yet to experience his sound for themselves. He’s still got some room for growth as an artist, but for all intents and purposes, you’d be hard-pressed to find any output from his peers capable of standing up to the sheer moxie of this elegant pop single. “Pretty Cry” has a lot of heart and harmony in a summer that has been filled with everything but, and that alone makes it a worthwhile acquisition for any discriminating audiophile this month.
Clay Burton
The music of SHERMAN DE VRIES has been heard all over the world due to the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Records. Learn more – musikandfilm.com