I'll Always Come Find You

Conceptually and stylistically speaking, it’s hard to discern why the 20 tracks on LA crooner Blxst’s debut are separated into four distinct acts; I’ll Always Come Find You is synergistic despite these groupings, which is no small feat considering the diverse array of personalities (Anderson .Paak, Becky G, Offset, Fatman Scoop, Ty Dolla $ign) and the jazz savant (hello, Kamasi Washington) whose contributions bolster the project. As program conductor, Blxst delivers a kind of open-format R&B party that features jaunts through the genres of house (“Too Many Friday Nights”), Afrobeats (“Risk Taker”), NOLA bounce (“I Had To”), reggaetón (“Rewind”), neo-soul (“To the Moon”), and dance pop (“I Need Your Love”). The tie that binds is, of course, the same distinctive croak and South Central charm that have made Blxst one of the most in-demand chorus specialists of the 2020s. He’s singing more than choruses here, however—while handling production and orchestration to boot—leaving us to wonder what, if anything, the man can’t do. As yet, the answer is disappoint.