Janine may have dropped “and The Mixtape” from her name but that doesn’t mean the core of what we love about her, the music, is making changes along with it.

Remarking that this is her favorite slow jam of her upcoming album, slated for release sometime during Q1 of this year, this is a good way for the singer to reemerge for fans and introduce herself to a new slate of fans.  All about how she wants to take her relationship with a friend in a new direction but can’t find a way to make her feelings known, this is surprisingly seductive.  The production is smooth and gentle but manages to builds without throwing the vibe of the track off.  The addition of more instruments isn’t subtle either, but comes at just the right moment to make the payoff worth it.

Janine’s vocals are sweet and soulful.  The big difference between her performance and that of the production is that she never really gets out of the initial mode of the track.  There are no big adlibs or moments when the beat drops out and she lays down a big run or impressive note.  She sounds like she’s whispering secrets to you, though her vocals are strong and expressive.  The tone reflects her inability to speak up about her feelings and it almost sounds like she’s saying these things under he breath so her paramour won’t hear.  It’s a nice touch.

The storytelling aspect of the lyrics sells the track well.  This could have gone down the road of talking about how much they have in common and how well they always get along.  Instead, she forgoes that to tell us about the missed opportunities and, in the process, tells us all we need to know about how close they are.  She knows that these moments aren’t right for a relationship conversation and, you get the feeling, that he may also want to have that discussion with her.  It’s interesting context clues that make this relatable without being too specific about the friendship itself that connects the listener to the material.

It’s been almost three since the release of XXEP and, after hearing this, we are more than ready for another dose of Janine.  Let’s hope she doesn’t leave us hanging for too much longer.

Sidenote: Wouldn’t she and Daley sound amazing in a duet?