What do you get when you mash up R&B, pop, hip-hop and dance music with the English, French Spanish and Arabic languages and an 18 year old boy who was born in Morocco, brought up in Spain and now lives in Canada? You get Hram Vybez (Red Rebel Productions) by Prince Amine. According to his lovely publicist the album title is derived from Arabic words which loosely translate to sinful vibes. Considering that the bulk of the 7 songs that make up this release are mainly all about hooking up and smashing it, I’d say its name is an accurate description of what you’ll hear on it. Well my, my, my, oh the humanity!

Prince Amine had a pretty good run earlier this year with Fuego, a single that’s on this album, so it’s only natural that he’d follow up with this full length record. Hram Vybez is also the name of one of the tracks which makes up this compilation. Commercially it’s the strongest contender to be a radio chart topper, especially with young people partying during their upcoming vacations and the it’ll-be-here-before-you-know-it promise of hot summer fun nights on the horizon. They say timing is everything, particularly in music, and this little Reggaeton driven number could be the right song at the right time this year for this artist. If you’re a couple looking for the right soundtrack to synchronize your horizon tango to, then this one is your go to grinder.

Also of interest is the opener on the Hram Vybez LP, P.M.N. (Princess of My Nation). It’s catchy, and if they only had upped the tempo up a few clicks on the click track then this one may have been my top pick. The way this musician works with exotic rhythms bares evidence to his mixed cultural background. His assimilated use of world music ideas and influences are what we have been recently witnessing as a driving force in current music markets and trends. Again, Prince Amine appears to be serendipitously a performer in the right place at just the right moment. It’s no secret of the universe that besides talent and hard work you also need a modicum of good luck in order to succeed. From the sound of it the Force just may be with this dude from the great white north.

The remaining other pieces like Por La Vida, Newlywed, and Marokina¸ while notable, hold their place as close 2nds with the 3 originally mentioned. Since I felt it best with this review to keep focus on what shines the brightest I offer this point of view not to cast any aspersions, but merely as a method of critical comparison. Word on the streets of Canada, which as already mentioned is where Prince Amine currently resides, is that he’s no slouch when it comes to bringing his craft to the live stage and opening for some fairly established artists in the business. Already on the itinerary is a gig with Mr Eazi at the end of June that will be staged at the impressively large L’Oympia arena in Montréal. Whether the vibes are sinful or not, at the end of the day what matters most is if they’re sinfully good. Pretty sure you’ll pick up a few sinfully good, good, good vibrations with Hram Vybez.

princeamine.com