Bryant Barnes - Is This Love To You

Fresh off the release of his excellent debut album “VANITY”, r&b singer Bryant Barnes is back with his new single “Is This Love To You”.  A beautiful piano ballad that reminds me of Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain”, it’s a dramatic song about a love turned sour. I had never heard of Bryant before and was pleasantly surprised to hear a tender, pop/r&b song from such a good, young singer.

Bryant’s voice stays at the upper register throughout the song, deploying his awesome falsetto at the climax of the chorus.  The dramatic strings and piano give me hints of Coldplay and The Weeknd.  Having gone back to listen to his whole discography, another major influence I hear is Joji, another alt-r&b singer making catchy and moody songs about heartbreak.

I would like to see Bryant change up his vocal style a bit in the future.  Particularly, it will be nice to hear him sing on a track with a BPM over 120.  While the debut album is never your best work, it is the grand introduction you make to your audience. While earnest and showcasing that unique tone of his, it would have been nice to hear Bryant explore other genres besides slow, downtempo r&b.  I also want to see him explore his lower vocal register in the future.  However, with just one album under his belt and at the tender age of 25, he has plenty of time to surprise listeners in the years to come.