Even though summer is almost over and fall is nearly upon us, 39-year-old Aaron Smith, better known to his fans as Shwayze, he has given us the summer anthem album of the year.  What I’ve always liked about Shwayze is his unique style, blending reggae, hip-hop and pop into a Malibu beach party vibe.  This album, Shwaycation, is no different and may even take that party to another level. This is his 8th album and 5th solo album, and you can see and hear the growth after each one. He brings a ton of confidence to this project and invites the listener to ride the wave of a good time.

The album starts off with one of my favorites “Tequila La La La La,” a perfect way to start off the summer party. Just has a sweet flow and vibe. You know we about to have fun. Great melody to this joint. Next up is “Single for the Summer” featuring Bryce Vine, keeping with the summer party vibe with a nice rap flow that works so well.  Bryce Vine sounds great and is a nice compliment to Shwayze. “I Pray” featuring Ripe has a great reggae riddim, but like all his songs, mixes in with that pop hip-hop beach groove. I get this cool Dirty Heads feel with this one, which is a very cool sound. Shwayze brings us to “Mine,” he’s got a secret for us in this joint; “I gotta secret that nobody knows/I want your body wanna hold it close/Does he care for you? I know he don’t/But you’re my best friend’s girl/My best friend’s girl/I want my best friend’s girl.”

We come to another one of my favorites, “West Coast” featuring Common Kings and KES, this just keeps with the summer party vibes, Shwayze with a nice rap flow again, and Jr. King sounds so sweet with the chorus and KES absolutely kills his verse.  This is an amazing collaboration; I’d love to hear more from all of them. Wiz Khalifa joins Shwayze on “Smoke Too Soon” and the flow between them works so well. Their styles compliment each other, I think they should do an album together.  Could be the bomb! “Promises” is next, and has that nice reggae beat but with a nice hip-hop flow and rhyme. “Kick Back” brings us back to what this album is all about; a Malibu Party! This is such a fun song, I’m driving down the coast with the top down, hangin’ at the beach with friends and just having a great time with a few drinks. Makes you smile!

Grammy winner J. Lauryn joins him on “Champagne Problems,” another one of my favorites. She sounds so good on this track, Shwayze giving us his rhyming and singing, matching up with her sweet vocals. I’d love to hear more from the two of them. “Book a Flight” is up next, his singing on the chorus is mellow and nice and his rap verses really hit on this one. We finish off with a perfect song to end this beach party, “Party in the Hills.” A little slower sound and vibe, the party is almost over, Shawyze taking us to the end of the night. It feels like we are sitting on a Malibu beach with a fire burnin’ thinking about the amazing day we just had.

Fun. Relaxed. Mellow. Chill. Truly genuine. These words describe the album, but also describe Shwayze. He really brings a fresh sound, fresh feel, and fresh vibe to the music industry. He was recently quoted as saying; “I don’t even know if I fit in the industry, so I’m not really concerned with it,” he admits. “I think just doing my own thing and focusing on my core fan base has served me well. I don’t care if it’s 100 or 1000 fans. My focus is on them and not the industry.” He’s right, he is very unique and doesn’t really fit anywhere in the industry, and that is perfect. He continues to put out great music and his fans love him for it.  This is a great, fun, chill album, an album so many will like.

One Love – Todd Judd