American singer-songwriter and rapper Bryson Tiller reemerged on April 5 with a new self-titled album after three years of silence. There were some good songs in here, but more was needed throughout the album for it to have great replay value. I will give you my top five songs on the album, with a little rundown on what I think made each worthy of the list. This album gives the listener some of what Tiller fans crave: raw vocals and sing-songy rapping, melodic riffs that give you chills down your spine. 

5. Whatever She Wants

“Whatever She Wants” is the last track on the album and is considered a bonus track. Tiller released this song as a single before he dropped the album after a snippet of it went viral on TikTok. This song was originally released alongside his exclusive Soundcloud mixtape “Slum Tiller,” which is why this song is considered a bonus track. It was not supposed to be on the album and includes a second verse that was not on the mixtape version. I put this song on the list because, even though it was pretty mainstream, it gives us a peek into Tiller’s rapping abilities, similar to what we got to hear in the last verse of his 2018 single, “Canceled.” We get a Detroit-type beat with Tiller rapping about a girl he had relations with and how she annoys him. We get lyrics like “I’ma take her bougie ass to Rodeo and then let her pick up whatever she want / CC, Gucci, hit Bottega, whatever she want / She piss me off, somehow she still get whatever she want.” This shows us that even though this girl is annoying him, he just cannot resist giving in to her needs and wants. Listeners find out the reason for this: “I know pussy power got me buyin’ shit again.” This song also gives us a classic hip-hop topic: money. He flexes that he has the ability to buy her “whatever she wants” and that money isn’t the issue: the girl is. 

4. Persuasion

“Persuasion” is the fourth track on this album and features singer-songwriter Victoria Monét. The reason I put this song on the list is purely because of the lyrics. With the sexual nature of the song, you think they are about to say one thing, and they say something completely different. The song is just about two people who are sharing flirtatious remarks but with lyrics like “he’s starin’ at me like he wants this persuasion / And I’m lookin’ right back at him like I want some of that decision,” it keeps you guessing about what’s really going on with the two of them. In this song, we get some of those beautiful Tiller vocals again with a beautiful feature from Monét. 

3. CALYPSO

“CALYPSO” is the 14th song on this album and was also released as a single before the album’s release. Again, we get those raw vocals we love from Tiller. The title of the song comes from Greek mythology. The nymph Calypso wanted Odysseus, her immortal husband, who is head over heels for her because of her beauty. In the song, we hear that Tiller is infatuated with this girl, with the chorus lyrics saying “her body like Calypso (Calypso) / Way she throwin’ that back I’ma leave with my feet sore (oh, yeah).” His verses paint us a picture that these two have met before and are reconnecting after a while. The girl won’t let him in that easily, though, with lyrics like “just like magic, they playin’ our song from way back when we fell in love / She put down her jacket and gave me her phone, said, ‘I can’t stay, but just hold up’” and “She said, it’s 12:35 and she still got work in the mornin’ / I ain’t tryna kill the vibe, you could see it in my face, I’m torn.” I personally love the beat in this song as well, it gives off an almost Caribbean-type beat and is really danceable. 

2. Attention 

“Attention” is the second song on the album and tells the story of Tiller being extremely attracted to a girl in a vibrant R&B ballet. He admits that her confidence is what is most attractive about her with lyrics like “You got me so amazed and all / I don’t wanna wait, no (I don’t wanna wait),” that shows listeners he means what he says. He explains that no one else around him even comes close to how attractive this girl is to him. With a slow trap beat similar to the ones we got to hear on his album that really put him on the map, “T R A P S O U L,” there is no disputing that this is easily a top song on the album. We get that soul feel that a lot of Tiller fans love and this song did not disappoint with that. 

1. Assume The Position

“Assume The Position” is the 18th song on the album and one of the most upbeat songs overall. Since this song was produced by Poo Bear who is known for creating more dance/EDM-type beats, it is no wonder that the beat is a dancey, electronic-type beat that makes you want to dance around while you drive. This song, again, talks about a girl that Tiller is attracted to, a popular theme in his music. We get some smart bars such as “You can be the judge ’cause I’m hung like a jury (woo) / Put your hands around my Glock, don’t be afraid to squeeze/ As long as you’re aimin’ to please.” We also get some insane production from Bear in between verses with voice box adlibs during Tiller’s verses. This song is 100% the most fun song on the album and such a banger. We get some of the Tiller vocals we know and love and a more upbeat, electronic production that we do not usually get from him. 

Regardless of what type of music genre you enjoy, Tiller is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to the R&B genre. He has proven his worth time and time again. Although this album was not one of his best, I think it was still pretty good. As I said before, this album gives us what Tiller fans enjoy most: Raw vocals, a little bit of rapping and bars that make you hit rewind to hear them again. I give this album three out of five goats.