Award-winning composer and producer Centric’s latest string of single releases sets him well on his way to dropping “Redlight,” a so far captivating new collaborative album with writer and R&B artist Cjae. The first of these singles is “Do Time,” a track expressing a unique blend of the Afrobeat and R&B genres.
Centric’s production and mix on “Do Time” gives the entire track a smooth flow in which each instrumental and vocal piece stands out with clarity. The percussion sets a great basis of energy, the bass has a great bounce to it, the piano jumps out with bright beauty, and the synths add some great atmosphere. On top of this, Centric’s vocals are delivered with power, and the way they’re mixed and layered helps build into an emotional vocal hit. It all wraps up with the introduction of some riffy electric guitar that is reminiscent of 80’s rock ballads. This is well done, and it works well with the Afrobeat genre which is outside of Centric’s general wheelhouse.
“Do Time” does well at telling a lyrical tale of emotional hurt through repeated mistakes and attempts at hiding them. The chorus rings out, stating that if a crime is committed, then time must be served. In one of the verses, the voice of the song sings to their subject, “It’s happening again, girl I thought you changed / it was just the other day you made a mistake / It’s like you think it’s a game I don’t wanna play.” This single paints a metaphorical picture that relates crime to the need for openness about hurtful actions.
Centric got his musical start crafting instrumentation in the underground hip-hop scene. From there, he grew to be part of the hip-hop duo Grand Opus and has produced for several acts that have been nominated for and won Grammy awards. On top of this, he’s produced music for MTV, VH1, and other popular channels. The next step to look out for in Centric’s journey is the release of “Redlight.”
