Tai Verdes: "HDTV" Review

Fresh off of his controversial performance at Valpo Vibes on Sept. 4, 2022, Tai Verdes released his sophomore album, “HDTV”. It serves as a follow-up to his 2021 debut album, “TV”, chalked full of viral hits such as “A-O-K” and “Stuck in the Middle”. Verdes flexes some versatility on “HDTV”, providing a blend of pop, R&B, rap and even alternative sensibilities.

As I alluded to earlier, Verdes is experimenting with a lot of different genres and sounds throughout the record. For the most part, it works well. Like most albums that I’ve covered, “HDTV” is quite long. The record comes in at 20 tracks over 59 minutes. The album does overstay its welcome a bit; some songs feel unnecessary. I would love to return to a time when albums were around 12 songs and 40 minutes; it leads to a much more pleasing and coherent listening experience.

That being said, the album is a very fun listen overall. Though I don’t think there is a smash hit here like “A-O-K” or even “Stuck in the Middle”, there are some super fun, vibey tracks throughout.

“HDTV”, while being a bit overly long, does feel very cohesive. You would think that a 20 track album that plays around with different genres would get lost in the genre translation. However, the album displays Verdes’ swagger and attitude throughout. “Kingdom Come” is a great opening track that sets the tone for this album well. The horns present throughout the song bring a lot of energy much in the vein of Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s smash hit, “Family Ties”. Verdes hits the ground running with this energetic track, and it carries through the rest of the album.

“sheluvme” is the track I see being the biggest hit on “HDTV”. There’s a lot to love here. The jazzy saxophone paired with a dancing piano sounds delightful. The positive vocals and vibes on the chorus begs the listener to sing along. Having a similar vibe to “A-O-K”, I could see “sheluvme” being a big hit on platforms like TikTok. His pop vocals that give way to a verse with rap flows are reminiscent of the way Rex Orange County incorporates these genres together.

“TWO SUGARS” is another standout on the record that really amplifies Verdes’ ability to genre-jump. The track’s instrumentation feels like a song from bands like All Time Low and Neon Trees, complete with a steady, muted electric guitar in the intro and verses that give way to some fun percussion in the chorus. Verdes’ vocal delivery is super smooth here, pairing well with the production.

Another fun track despite its questionable lyrics is “Let’s go to Hell”. The song is an absolute delight musically. Verdes’ vocals are super smooth, and his delivery is charismatic as *hell*. There’s some slick electric guitar work that is present throughout the song. The chorus is simply too catchy not to sing along with.

There are some misses strewn about “HDTV”, unfortunately. The only song that truly does not sound good is “FYL”. Verdes’ falsetto vocals do not sound great and do not fit the overall vibe that the rest of the record sets before and after the track.

Some of the vocal effects used on tracks such as “3 outfits” and “in this movie” sound a bit odd as well. I understand what Verdes and his producers were doing, but I don’t think the execution worked very well. These songs as well as “Electrical” and “Trix in the Bag” just don’t have the same spark of energy that most of this album possesses.

Overall, “HDTV” is a solid, albeit overly long record. Verdes flexes his ability to jump around different genres very well here. His smooth, charismatic vocals and delivery pair well with some fun instrumentation and production. I’m hoping his next record (4KTV anyone?) leans into his ability to dance around a multitude of genres while adopting the “less is more” attitude that seems to be lost in album-making these days. I definitely recommend giving “HDTV” a listen, especially if you were a fan of his performance at Valpo Vibes.

7.5/10