Scribz Riley - Wish Me Luck [EP Review]
R&B newcomer Scribz Riley brings his name into the spotlight with his debut EP ‘Wish Me Luck’ – a crisply produced project that goes down smooth.
East London born Scribz may have only just dropped his first EP, but he has already established himself as a highly successful producer and songwriter, working with big-name artists including J Hus, Cardi B, Khalid and H.E.R and winning himself two Grammy awards along the way. Now, the London and LA straddling producer has made his first big move as a solo artist, wrapping up his four genre-melding singles, ‘East Side’, ‘Impress Me’ feat. Headie One, ‘Mandy’ and ‘On My Sleeve’ feat. Kaash Paige’ with six confident new tunes to enjoy.
Throughout ‘Wish Me Luck’, sounds span rap, afrobeats, UK garage, trap and R&B - mixing and melding rhythm styles and vibes to create an interesting but laid-back selection of songs that nonetheless dip into serious subjects. The project is honest without cutting too deep, with sadder songs such as ‘Mandy’ - which chronicles a doomed relationship - keeping things light with a summery aesthetic and upbeat melody.
Scribz has clearly made some strong contacts through his producing work, as this record hosts a spate of slick collabs. As mentioned above, rap star Headie One and US R&B singer Kaash Paige contribute, as does rapper 6LACK on the quietly emotional tune ‘Dim My Light’, which samples from Snoh Aalegra’s seductive single ‘Woah’. We’re also fittingly introduced, on ‘Introduce Myself’, to newcomers JADA and KWN, two vocalists who Scribz described in an interview with Complex UK as his “young Gs”, adding, “that’s family right there!” Scribz is wise to team up with such a silky-voiced selection of singers who complement his rich, smooth tone. Scribz himself is a highly versatile performer who can deftly switch from expressive soul in tracks like ‘Secretly’ and ‘I Lied (Part 1)’ to sultry sing-rap in tunes like, ‘On My Sleeve’ and ‘East Side’, the latter an ode to the artist’s hometown that also gives us a quick glimpse of Scribz’s straight-up rap skills.
Reflecting on ‘Wish Me Luck’, Scribz says, “My first ever project. It’s a collection of my thoughts and experiences over the past couple of years. I hope there’s something in there for people to relate to in some way. The title ‘Wish Me Luck’ is basically what it says on the tin - although I feel confident in the music, in the early stages there was a lot of uncertainty for me on how it would be received, especially with making the transition of being a producer to becoming an artist. I guess it is me moving forward into the unknown, so wish me luck…”
‘Wish Me Luck’ is a consistent and exciting debut project from a multi-talented artist who is undoubtedly set for plenty more successes in the near future. Scribz Riley, we see you!