The whole thing opens “Adore U”which in my opinion is one of the best tracks on the entire album. Similar to “Free Spirit”, there is no typical intro, but a full-fledged almost 3-minute single. We get an enveloping ballad that immediately outlines what “Sincere” will be like – delicate, emotional, and at times even intimate. Lyrically, Khalid focused on describing the themes of love, loss, and the titular honesty in all of this, which will also resonate during the remaining tracks. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to this story.
Something that may surprise you at first glance in the case of Khalid is the number of feats. Previous releases were full of guest verses, but here, very subtly, we have only one song where the artist decided to collaborate. We are talking about the track “Breath” with the participation of Arlo Parks. To truly understand how brilliantly they did it, you simply have to listen to it. Along with the aforementioned “Adore U,” they are the best tracks on the album. Should the lack of many guests be considered a minus? Absolutely not. This album stands on its own, and more vision and voices could only hurt Khalid’s idea for the album.
In the case of “Sincere”, it is also worth paying special attention to the lyrics. They are more mature, but also heavier in their subject matter. Let’s take the aforementioned “Breathe”, which touches on the subject of depression and isolation from the world around him, or “Broken” and “Decline”which describe how Khalid deals with the pain of the end of a relationship.
“Sincere” as an album is a textbook example of a situation in which lyrics touching on difficult topics are wrapped in very delicate, slow songs. It must be admitted, however, that treatments such as minimalist production, which at first glance may be considered monotonous by some, allow the vocals to resonate.
I didn’t really know what to expect from Khalid. Five years is a long time, and you can hear it on the album that they were well spent. It is polished to the limits of its potential, showing that R&B can defend itself in popular music. However, I am afraid that “Sincere” will not be properly appreciated by listeners and will not exceed the popularity of “Free Spirit”, which set the bar very high. However, I hope that my fears are unnecessary.
Khalid “Sincere”, RCA Records